Russia endured a new night of intense attacks as Ukraine demonstrated its growing military advantage in the ongoing war. Ukrainian forces deployed FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles on a 1,000-mile mission, causing significant damage to a key military plant in Cheboksary, a facility crucial to Vladimir Putin's war machine.
Key Military Plant Hit
The VNIIR-Progress plant in Cheboksary, which produces guidance and navigation systems for Russian missiles including Iskander-M and Kalibr missiles, as well as drones and glide bombs, was left in ruins after the strike. One Ukrainian domestically produced Flamingo missile was reportedly shot down, but at least one more struck the facility. The missiles flew low across Russia at an altitude of around 330 feet to evade air defenses.
Oil Facilities Targeted
In addition to the military plant, the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in the Samara region was blitzed. Two more oil facilities, Lobkovo and Vtorovo, linked to pumping fuel to Moscow and northwestern Russia, were struck and damaged by Ukrainian drones in the Vladimir region. These attacks risk further petrol pump shortages in Russia.
Bridge Strike in Kherson
Ukraine also blocked traffic by damaging another bridge connecting the Arabat Spit to the mainland in the Kherson region. This is part of a bombing campaign aimed at curtailing Putin's supply access to Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula he has held since 2014.
Crimea Under Pressure
Nighttime trains were halted in Crimea due to a curfew, as the popular peninsula becomes increasingly unsafe for Russian tourists. Tourists are facing queues more than a mile long for petrol in Yalta and Alupka resorts. The key naval port of Sevastopol in Crimea was also hit in the overnight onslaught.
Attack warning sirens blared in three major cities mid-morning: Tyumen in Siberia, as well as Yekaterinburg and Kazan.
Retreat of Russian Special Forces
This follows Ukraine forcing the humiliating retreat of Putin's special forces from the Kinburn Spit, a strategic peninsula vital to control of a swathe of the Black Sea coastline.
Russian Casualties
Russian forces staged attacks overnight on Ukrainian cities Kharkiv and Odesa. A new estimate from the German Institute for International Security Issues shows Russia now suffering 300 soldiers killed per day, with hundreds more wounded. Ukraine has set a target of eliminating 50,000 occupiers per month.
