This week, intense fighting continued to rage all across the front lines. Russia continued to strike Ukrainian cities and towns far behind the front lines. Russian forces recently made confirmed advances in four Ukrainian regions: northwest of Svatove, in Luhansk region; near Avdiyivka, in Donetsk region; in Robotyne, in Zaporizhzhia region; and north of Oleshky, in Kherson region, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report released early this week. Russia gathers a new force for a possible offensive on Kharkiv, ISW said in a separate analysis.
Russia’s air and missile strikes continue to devastate civilian sites. This week, Russia has dropped a modified FAB-1500 glide bomb on Kharkiv region for first time, destroying an entire street in a village. A major Russian missile and drone strike on Wednesday targeted Ukrainian energy facilities in six regions. Three people were injured. At least three thermal power plants were seriously damaged in the attack. Two hydroelectric power plants were taken out of commission, state-run hydropower generating company Ukrhydroenergo said.
Ukraine responds with long-range drone strikes. Early in the week, Ukraine’s defense intelligence destroyed a Russian military speedboat in a bay in Crimea. On Thursday, Ukrainian drones hit two oil depots near Russia’s Anapa and struck an oil refinery in the Bashkortostan republic, more than 1,400 kilometers from the border.
Ukraine’s Security Service arrested two Ukrainian colonels involved in a Russian plot to assassinate Zelenskyi. They served in the Department of State Security which protects top officials. On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a new six-year term as Russia’s leader.
Drones attack oil refinery in Russia’s Kaluga region
Overnight into Friday, a drone strike targeted the “Pervyi Zavod” oil refinery in Russia’s Kaluga region. Several powerful explosions rocked the Dzerzhynskiy district of the region. A drone headed toward Moscow was shot down outside the Russian capital, mayor Sergey Sobyanin said.
Air defenses destroyed three more drones in the Bryansk region. Russian state-controlled media reported that three containers with diesel fuel and one with fuel oil were consumed by the fire at the “Pervyi Zavod” refinery in the Kaluga region following a drone attack. There were no casualties.