Ukrainian forces target Russian air defenses and military sites in deep strikes

The target that especially interests Ukrainian forces is once again the Russian Pantsir air-defense system. Ukrainian forces attacked the port of Sochi with naval drones and struck a ship used in oil and gas transport operations. They also targeted a Pantsir system stationed at the port, 526 kilometers from the line of contact in Russia’s Krasnodar region.

The report recalls that Pantsir systems were destroyed in late August in Kerch, Crimea, and Yeysk in the Krasnodar region. These systems are described as one of the Russian military’s main tools for countering Ukrainian deep strikes and medium-range attack drones. Explosions were also reported in Sochi itself.

Other reported strikes hit the Moscow area, including the suburb of Kubinka, which contains military facilities and experienced disruption to airport operations. Targets in Crimea were also attacked. The BK16 landing craft was damaged or destroyed near Sevastopol, while a Krasukha-4 electronic warfare system and a control point for Russian long-range attack drones were also hit.

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 163 long-range drones of various types. Ukrainian forces said they shot down or redirected 135 of them. Kyiv and Odesa were attacked again, while Dnipro and the Kharkiv region came under daytime missile strikes.

Ground fighting continued across several directions. Russia claimed to have captured Kozacha Lopan near Kharkiv, but fighting in the sector continued. Ukrainian forces slightly improved their position near Dvorichna and carried out successful attacks near Ridkodub, according to Russian acknowledgments. The situation on the road toward Sloviansk was described as increasingly difficult, while fighting remained heavy near Bilytske and Dobropillia in the Pokrovsk-Iskra sector.