Energy Wars: Attack of the drones

Energy Wars: Attack of the drones. Energy Wars: Attack of the drones.

Key points

• Since the Strait of Hormuz was attacked on 28 February crude oil has traded between $68 and $113 and is now $93, 27% higher than pre-war rates.
• A little bit petty, a whole lot creative: Inside Tupelo's Petty Betty's Art Studio.
• American Priorities has channeled millions of dollars, primarily from donors with Arab, Muslim, and/or Middle Eastern backgrounds, to a string of winning candidates in high-profile races.
• Supreme Court to rule on 2020 Census results that negatively impacted Mississippians.
• State argues Fifth Circuit should remand Mississippi's anti-DEI law case to different judge.

Energy Wars: Attack of the drones. Energy Wars: Attack of the drones. By: Ashby Foote – September 1, 2026.

Like the rifled bore, the gatling gun and the tank, drones will change the battlefield and the tactics applied on it. Military doctrine must adjust and mastering drone technology is an existential necessity.

Months ago in a hemisphere far, far away. It is a period of great conflicts between old empires. War fogs the Strait of Hormuz. Drones swarm Ukraine – Russian battlefields. Long-range drones destroy oil refineries hundreds of miles behind Russian lines.

Kinetic combat throughout the planet is a key feature of 2026. The action has centered around energy and some of the world's great oil and gas fields. The zig zagging cost of crude oil is a constant headline, a reminder of the central role that fossil fuels still play in AI's 21st century economy. Upcoming mid-term elections additionally matter.

Brent and WTI crude rates reflect the 'upstream' part of the global energy complex where the crude is drilled from the ground. But you can't put crude in your car, ship or airplane. Crude requires refining which is the 'downstream' part of the energy complex. It gets less headlines but its role is just as significant. Refineries employ heat, pressure and chemistry to crack the hydrocarbon molecules and separate them into the numerous fuels and other by-products that enable and power the world economy. It is an expensive, dirty and messy process that requires massive industrial scale to be economically viable. The cost per barrel for the process is called the 'crack spread' and that has lately exploded to all-time highs, especially for diesel where the crack spread jumped to $101 up 400% year to date. Why?

Blame Ukrainian engineers, the world's leaders in drone technology. On June 25th Ukraine introduced a devastating 40 day drone blitz of 100 sorties against strategic Russian targets. Russia's refineries were high on the list and they obtained hit hard, including the massive Omsk refinery complex in Siberia. The 40 days of attacks devastated a broad list of military and logistical targets in the Russian heartland from airbases and ships to Russia's eleven largest refineries. 13 days in, on July 8th Russia confirmed a ban on any export of diesel, one of their major exports. After 40 days of strikes 40% of Russia's refining capacity is non-functioning.

Ukraine's 40 day drone blitz was a game changer and its implications are significant and ominous on a number of levels.

For context, the world now confronts severe chokepoints in both the upstream and downstream parts of the global energy complex. This creates a new array of challenges that will surely result in stranded assets with higher costs and higher costs to end users. That was the message of the massive spike in the diesel crack spread.

Refineries worldwide are more vulnerable to feasible attack and surely more valuable due to the destruction of refining capacity in Russia and the Strait of Hormuz over the past six months.

While the war goes on, Ukraine has demonstrated advanced capabilities of drones that will impact how and where battles will be waged for the foreseeable future. Like the rifled bore, the gatling gun and the tank, drones will change the battlefield and the tactics applied on it. Military doctrine must adjust and mastering drone technology is an existential necessity. Regarding the Author(s).

Ashby Foote is a member of the Bigger Pie Forum. He is additionally a Jackson City Councilman. Opinion Shaun Yurtkuran August 17, 2026. The Mississippi that welcomed my family.

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For now, energy Wars: Attack of the drones remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.