Partisans destroyed a communications tower near Perm before attacking the oil refinery
Agents of the “ATESH” guerrilla movement claimed to have destroyed a communications tower near Perm on the eve of the attack on the “Lukoil-Permnaftorgsintez” oil refinery. According to the group, the tower provided backup communications between the plant’s security personnel and Russian military forces guarding the facility.
According to the group, the communications tower in the Perm region was destroyed on August 21, shortly before the drone strike on the Lukoil-Permnaftorgsintez oil refinery. “ATESH” claims that the tower was a crucial part of the communication system surrounding the facility. It was used to transmit operational information between the refinery’s security personnel and the military units responsible for protecting the facility.
According to the partisans, data transmission was disrupted after the tower was destroyed. The facility’s security, the movement claims, was left without stable coordination with the military. A unique aspect of this operation is that, according to “ATESH,” the sabotage was carried out by a Russian serviceman who had deserted his unit. The movement stated that the soldier subsequently made contact with representatives of “ATESH” and agreed to assist the partisans.
According to the movement, the reason for this decision was the soldier’s disagreement with the policies of the Russian leadership and what he had encountered while serving in the Russian Armed Forces. “The sabotage was carried out by a Russian serviceman who deserted his unit,” “ATESH” stated. According to the partisan movement, after the tower was destroyed, communications around the facility became less reliable. This, the agents claim, complicated coordination between the refinery’s security and the military.
Shortly after the sabotage, according to “ATESH,” the complex was struck by drones. The facility in question is the “Lukoil-Permnaftorgsintez” oil refinery in Perm. The facility is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries.
At the same time, the claim that the destruction of the tower directly influenced the outcome of the subsequent strike on the refinery currently comes solely from “ATESH.” There is no independent confirmation of this version in the information provided. “ATESH” regularly reports on sabotage operations on Russian territory and in the occupied territories. Members of the movement claim that their agents provide information on Russian military facilities and carry out operations aimed at disrupting the functioning of military infrastructure.
Previously, representatives of the movement reported a sabotage operation on a railway in the Belgorod region. According to their reports, agents disabled two relay cabinets on a section of track that the Russian military had planned to use to transport a shipment of ammunition and engineering equipment toward Kupiansk. Thus, “ATESH” links the destruction of the communications tower near Perm to the subsequent strike on the local oil refinery. According to the group’s statement, the operation was intended to disrupt coordination between Russian security forces and the military ahead of an attack on the facility. The “ATESH” partisan movement reported the sabotage.
Over the past 24 hours, Russian troops engaged in combat with the Ukrainian Defense Forces 245 times. The highest number of attacks was recorded in the Pokrovsk direction—43; another 17 assaults took place in the Kostyantynivka direction, and nine each in the Pivdenno-Slobozhanskyi and Kupianskyi directions.
Over the past day, the Russian army lost another 1,390 soldiers in the war against Ukraine. The Ukrainian General Staff also reported the destruction of three multiple-launch rocket systems, one air defense system, and over 1,400 drones.
