This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Ukraine’s military said it struck an oil depot overnight in Russia’s western Kaluga region and “a number of important targets” in two other Russian regions after Russia shelled the center of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement on social media that the early morning attacks focused on Bryansk, Kaluga, and Kursk.
“There is confirmation of a successful impact of the oil base in the Kaluga region,” it said.
Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of Kaluga, said on Telegram that eight Ukrainian drones were shot down in the region, with debris from one of the downed drones sparking a fire at an industrial site. The fire has been extinguished, and no casualties were reported, Shapsha said.
Unconfirmed reports from the Telegram channels Ostorozhno, novosti, and Baza claim the fire affected a tank at a local oil depot and the Kaluga instrument-making plant Typhoon. Videos allegedly showing the fire at the refinery have surfaced online, though official verification is pending.
The attack came as the mayor of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, said at least 15 people were wounded in an attack that targeted residential areas, adding to the series of strikes the city has faced in recent weeks that have caused significant casualties and damage to civil and energy infrastructure.
In Ukraine’s southern Mykolayiv region, Russian strikes hit energy infrastructure overnight, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim reported. Engineers managed to restore power to most affected areas, and no casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, Russian forces launched attacks on industrial facilities using “dozens of drones,” according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. One child was reportedly wounded in these strikes.
Sources at the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense (HUR) told Ukrayinska pravda that the attack on the Kaluga oil depot was planned by Ukrainian special services. The targeted depot is reportedly linked to Russia’s military operations against Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that on the night of November 25, air-defense systems intercepted and destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions. These included eight drones over Kaluga, seven over Kursk, five over Bryansk, and three over Belgorod, the ministry said.
The overnight strikes highlight the growing intensity of Ukraine’s efforts to stop Russia’s ongoing invasion that Moscow launched in February 2022. The situation continues to evolve as both sides accuse the other of escalating the violence.