As November drew to a close, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia escalated dramatically, with both sides launching significant attacks that left a trail of destruction, power outages, and mounting diplomatic pressure. The night of November 29, 2025, marked one of the most intense exchanges in recent months, highlighting the ongoing volatility and the high stakes involved for civilians and critical infrastructure alike.
According to reports from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces struck deep into Russian territory, targeting several key infrastructure sites. Among the most notable was the Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai, a major facility with a design capacity of up to 9.1 million tons of crude oil annually, or about 180,000 barrels per day, as Bloomberg noted. This refinery, part of the Safmar group, has been a repeated target for Ukrainian drones due to its role in supplying the Russian military. The Ukrainian Defense Forces also confirmed strikes on the Beriev Taganrog aircraft repair plant in the Rostov region, a facility responsible for modernizing Tu-95 strategic bombers and A-50 AWACS aircraft. A fire broke out in the plant’s aircraft repair shops, though the full extent of the damage was still being assessed by Ukrainian officials.
Further south, the Tuapse marine oil terminal on the Black Sea coast suffered significant damage. On November 25, a Ukrainian strike destroyed an RV-5000 vertical storage tank at the port, and by November 29, attacks had “significantly damaged” one of three export moorings at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s oil terminal, forcing a complete halt to loading operations. The operator of the terminal confirmed that emergency protection systems had prevented any oil leakage into the Black Sea, but with one mooring destroyed and another under maintenance, the facility’s export capacity was slashed to about 800,000 barrels per day.
Ukraine’s military command made clear the intent behind these strikes. As the General Staff stated in a Telegram post, “As part of reducing the military-economic potential of the Russian aggressor, on the night of November 29, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out successful strikes on several important targets of the Russian aggressor.” The command emphasized that these attacks were part of a systematic effort to “reduce the combat potential of Russian occupation troops, as well as at pressuring the Russian Federation to stop its military aggression against Ukraine.”
While Ukraine pressed its campaign to undermine Russia’s war economy, Russia responded with a massive aerial assault on Ukrainian cities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces launched around 36 missiles and nearly 600 drones during the night, a barrage that targeted both energy infrastructure and civilian facilities. According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Services, the attack killed at least six people and injured dozens more across the country, with fatalities reported in the Kyiv region, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson.
Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, bore the brunt of the onslaught. Bloomberg reported that air raid sirens sounded for 12 hours straight, plunging the city into a state of fear and uncertainty. Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that at least three people were killed and 29 injured in Kyiv alone, with 19 requiring hospitalization. The missile strikes caused widespread fires in residential buildings and knocked out power to approximately 500,000 residents. The broader Kyiv region and parts of Kharkiv also suffered outages, forcing authorities to implement rolling blackouts and energy usage restrictions.
Other regions were not spared. The energy ministry cited attacks in Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, and Kharkiv, further straining Ukraine’s already battered infrastructure as winter set in. The relentless targeting of civilian and energy facilities appeared aimed at undermining Ukrainian morale and resilience. “The main targets of the attack were energy infrastructure and civilian facilities, with extensive damage and fires in residential buildings,” President Zelenskyy said on X (formerly Twitter), as cited by Bloomberg.
The Russian side also experienced repercussions. In addition to the refinery and port attacks, the Volgograd region in southwest Russia was hit, damaging several residential buildings and injuring five people, according to regional governor Andrey Bocharov. Taganrog, in the Rostov region, saw damage to some residential buildings as well as the strategic aircraft repair plant. Despite these incidents, the Russian Ministry of Defense remained silent, offering no public comment on the Ukrainian strikes.
Amid the escalating violence, diplomatic efforts continued—though with little sign of imminent breakthrough. The United States, under President Donald Trump, has been increasing pressure on Kyiv to consider concessions in pursuit of a negotiated settlement. Over the weekend, a Ukrainian delegation traveled to the U.S. for talks, meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Florida. Witkoff was also scheduled to lead a U.S. delegation for discussions in Russia the following week, according to Bloomberg. The push for peace has been met with skepticism in Kyiv, especially as Russian attacks intensify.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, voiced frustration at the disconnect between diplomatic discussions and the reality on the ground. “While everyone is discussing points of peace plans, Russia continues to pursue its ‘war plan’ of two points: to kill and destroy,” Sybiha posted online, as reported by multiple outlets. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to prolong the war at any cost,” underscoring the grim determination on both sides.
The repeated attacks on energy infrastructure—both by Russia in Ukraine and by Ukraine in Russia—have become a defining feature of the conflict’s latest phase. Ukraine’s strategy, as outlined by its military leadership, is to target oil refineries and pipelines deep within Russian territory to reduce the combat capabilities of Russian forces and disrupt the financial underpinnings of Moscow’s war effort. These strikes, particularly on the Afipsky refinery and the Tuapse terminal, have complicated Russian logistics and energy exports, though the long-term impact remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, civilians in both countries continue to bear the brunt of the war. In Ukraine, the loss of life, destruction of homes, and lack of electricity as winter approaches have added a new layer of hardship to an already exhausted population. In Russia, the attacks on infrastructure and residential areas have brought the distant war closer to home for many, challenging the narrative of invulnerability promoted by state media.
As the calendar turns to December, the prospects for a swift resolution appear remote. Both sides are doubling down on their strategies—Ukraine with its precision strikes on Russian infrastructure, Russia with its relentless bombardment of Ukrainian cities. The international community watches closely as diplomatic efforts continue in parallel, hoping for progress but bracing for further escalation.
The events of November 29, 2025, serve as a stark reminder of the conflict’s human and material costs, and of the complex interplay between military tactics and diplomatic maneuvering that will shape the months ahead.
