Ukrainian forces launched targeted strikes against critical Russian infrastructure facilities, marking an escalation in their campaign against Moscow's war effort. According to reports from Business Standard, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the attacks on a Russian fertilizer and chemical plant in the Tula region and an oil storage facility in the Yaroslavl region. The strikes represent the latest in a series of operations targeting infrastructure deep within Russian territory.
The Azot plant in Tula carries out operations critical to Russia's explosives capabilities, as reported by Business Standard. Tula region Governor Dmitry Milyaev confirmed that wreckage from a drone fell on the territory of an industrial plant in Novomoskovsk, located approximately 200 kilometers south of Moscow and 660 kilometers northeast of Kyiv. The nature of the damage was being assessed by authorities at the time of the report.
Strikes in the Yaroslavl region northeast of Moscow hit fuel storage facilities owned by Russia's State Reserves Agency, causing a fire, according to regional Governor Mikhail Yevrayev as reported by Business Standard. The region is approximately 1,000 kilometers northeast of Kyiv. Images on social media showed a large cloud of smoke blanketing the sky, with several airports temporarily restricting flights and road traffic between Yaroslavl and Moscow being disrupted, according to the state-run Tass news service.
Separately, one person died and eight were injured in the Oryol region of western Russia after a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building, regional Governor Andrey Klychkov confirmed to Business Standard. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that its forces intercepted 249 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions and the Sea of Azov, while Ukraine's Air Force said Russia attacked with 98 drones overnight, of which 91 were shot down.
According to Business Standard, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine carried out the attacks "in response to Russia's refusal to end this war" and "offered the Russian leadership every possible format for negotiations – and the only response was continued aggression and attempts to expand it." The strikes represent a significant escalation in Ukraine's infrastructure campaign, targeting facilities that support Russia's military capabilities and war effort.
