Moscow, Russia – The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces carried out a series of concentrated air and ground strikes last night using long-range precision weapons. These strikes targeted vital military-industrial facilities in the capital, Kyiv. Additionally, strategic facilities in the port of Yuzhny in the Odessa region were targeted.
Details of the targeting at the port of Yuzhny
The ministry explained in its statement that the strikes targeting the port of Yuzhny—located 30 kilometers northeast of Odessa—focused on destroying facilities used for storing and unloading fuel and lubricants belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces. The operations also included targeting a cargo ship that was unloading military supplies at the port’s container terminal. The port is one of Ukraine’s largest on the Black Sea and a key logistical hub for receiving Western aid.
Destruction of defense manufacturing facilities in Kyiv
In the capital, Kyiv, Russian strikes targeted sites of strategic importance to the defense industries, most notably:
Radio Izmirtel Corporation: specializing in electronics production, which supplies the defense sector with key components for the manufacture of Neptune-MD missiles. It also provides navigation and landing equipment, and electronic systems for aircraft.
The Kyiv-79 facility, belonging to UkrArmoTech, is a major center for assembling warheads for drones and missiles. It also serves as a logistics center for storing and processing explosives and armored vehicles.
The context of mutual escalation
This Russian move comes amid an escalation of military operations. Russian reports indicate that these strikes are in response to repeated targeting by Ukrainian forces of residential areas and energy facilities deep inside Russia and in border regions using drones and missiles. Moscow asserts that the increased flow of Western arms supplies through Ukrainian ports has made this infrastructure a direct and legitimate target for Russian military operations. This development also comes at a time of heightened conflict. The Russian side seeks to undermine the Ukrainian army’s production and logistical capabilities by targeting its supply chains. It is also targeting key manufacturing centers upon which the Ukrainian army relies to sustain its operations.
