Explosive Night: Russia and Ukraine Exchange Massive Strikes

Support SouthFront

Click to see the full-size image

On the night of November 13-14, Russia and Ukraine exchanged a series of large-scale strikes, accompanied by active operations of air defense systems. According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian air defense forces destroyed 216 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. The largest number of drones were intercepted over Krasnodar Krai (66), Saratov Region (45), and the airspace above the Black Sea (59).

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces used 449 means of air attack against Ukrainian territory, of which 419 were successfully destroyed. Specifically, 14 out of 19 missiles and 405 out of 430 drones were shot down.

Massive Russian strikes hit targets across ten regions of Ukraine. The primary strikes were aimed at facilities of the military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure.

The capital suffered the most severe damage. In Kyiv and the Kyiv region, air defense systems, command posts, and facilities of the Ministry of Defense were hit, along with warehouses, repair bases, transport hubs, UAV bases, and an aircraft repair plant. Missile strikes also damaged TPP-5 and TPP-6, leading to heating disruptions in the Desnianskyi and Podilskyi districts of the city.

Click to see the full-size image

In other regions, the strikes were also concentrated on critical infrastructure:

Cherkasy region: The targets of the attack were the Kaniv Hydroelectric Power Plant and the infrastructure of bridges across the Dnipro River. The hydroelectric plant plays a key role in stabilizing Ukraine’s energy system by covering peak loads.

Chernihiv region: A railway station in the Bakhmach area, an important logistics hub for northern routes, came under attack.

Vinnytsia region: The large railway hub in Koziatyn, which has strategic importance for the movement of troops and cargo, was attacked.

Kharkiv region: Strikes were recorded on the airbase in Chuhuiv, which is used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Dnipropetrovsk region: Strikes were delivered to the Synelnykove and Pavlohrad districts, damaging key railway junctions, warehouses storing rockets and ammunition, and energy facilities.

Mykolaiv region: Air defense facilities were attacked, and an Armed Forces barracks was destroyed.

Odesa region: Strikes were recorded on air defense facilities, electronic warfare systems, and the energy infrastructure powering the port.

Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions: Kamikaze drones attacked targets in Zaporizhzhia and an industrial zone in Sumy.

Click to see the full-size image

In turn, Ukrainian forces struck targets on Russian territory, using, according to some reports, modified Neptune anti-ship missiles. The most significant consequences were recorded in Krasnodar Krai, where a fire broke out at the oil depot of the “Sheskharis” transshipment complex in Novorossiysk. Damage was reported to coastal structures and a civilian vessel. According to Reuters, this complex is the endpoint of a Transneft pipeline, and the incident led to a temporary halt in oil exports from the port, causing a rise in global oil prices.

Furthermore, according to Ukrainian sources, a fire occurred in the area of an oil refinery in Saratov. Local authorities reported damage to civilian infrastructure objects. Attacks also targeted hangars at a metallurgical plant in Donetsk and an S-400 air defense position near Novorossiysk.

Donetsk

In international politics, the large-scale corruption scandal in Ukraine’s energy sector is eliciting a mixed reaction. As reported by Politico, EU diplomats describe the “rampant corruption” in this sphere as “appalling,” particularly in the “Energoatom case,” which involves a close associate of President Zelenskyy, Timur Mindich.

According to the publication’s sources, the European Commission, which has provided Ukraine with over 3 billion euros in support for its energy sector since 2022, will have to reassess its approach to funding this sector, demanding greater transparency from the Ukrainian side. Although no overt threats to halt assistance have been made, the EU may link further financing to the implementation of anti-corruption reforms.

The scandal has provided an additional argument for opponents of allocating a large-scale 140-billion-euro “reparations loan” to Ukraine, secured by frozen Russian assets. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has already stated the inappropriateness of channeling European taxpayers’ money into an environment where resources could end up in the pockets of a “military mafia.” Thus, the corruption scandal creates additional financial risks for Kyiv and may prompt European partners to make continued aid directly contingent on specific steps by the Ukrainian government in its fight against corruption.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Kiev Mayor Wants To Lower The Enlistment Age In Ukraine
• Danylivka Captured: Threat Of Encirclement Looms Over Ukrainian Grouping In Huliaipole
• Overview of Russian-Ukrainian Strikes. Polish Foreign Ministry: Kyiv Ready to Fight for Three More Years

Support SouthFront