Ukraine targeted a southern Russian port on the Azov Sea using missiles and ignited a fire at an oil depot in the Bryansk region of western Russia via drones, as reported by officials and media outlets.
The specifics of the damage and the exact weaponry utilized in the assaults remain uncertain, although Russia has warned consistently that Ukraine’s deployment of US ATACMS to strike its territory could escalate into a broader conflict.
According to Russia’s defense ministry, its air defense units intercepted and destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones overnight in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. However, they did not disclose what was struck.
Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz reported on his Telegram channel that a production facility experienced a brief fire as a result of the attack, without specifying which facility was affected.
The Druzhba oil pipeline, built during the Soviet era and transporting oil from western Siberia and the Caspian Sea to European markets, traverses the Bryansk region, as does the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS) leading to the Baltic Sea.
Reuters was unable to confirm whether any oil infrastructure had been impacted. The ASTRA Telegram channel claimed a refinery was hit, showing flames erupting into the sky.
Approximately 750 km south, the Russian port of Taganrog was struck by Ukrainian missiles, damaging an industrial site and multiple vehicles, according to the acting governor of the Rostov region.
“Preliminary information indicates that no injuries were reported,” Yuri Slyusar shared via the Telegram messaging app.
Mr. Slyusar noted that 14 vehicles caught fire, but further details regarding the extent of the damage or the scale of the attack were not revealed.
Reuters could not independently verify these claims.
Final phase?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities, displaced millions, and created the most significant crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
According to some Russian and Western officials, the conflict is entering what could be its final and most perilous phase, as Russian forces advance more rapidly than they have since the early weeks of the war and the West contemplates the potential conclusion of the conflict.
The eastern Ukraine conflict commenced in 2014 when a pro-Russian president was ousted during Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution, followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, leading to clashes between Russian-backed separatists and Ukraine’s armed forces.
In November, Ukraine employed US ATACMS missiles to strike into Russian territory, following newly granted authorization from the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden.
Shortly thereafter, Russia launched a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Since then, Russia has reported the downing of at least 15 ATACMS missiles.
President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine’s use of Western-made missiles signifies direct Western involvement in the armed conflict against Russia.
The impacted area of Taganrog, a city of around 250,000 residents situated on Russia’s Black Sea coast and close to the Ukrainian border, has been secured by police, according to Svetlana Kambulova, the city’s head, on Telegram.
The attack partially affected a boiler house, disrupting heating for 27 apartment buildings, Ms. Kambulova informed.
Russia maintains an airbase near the city, which military analysts suggest is utilized by the Russian air force for deploying drones, bombers, and other munitions to assault Ukraine.
