In a dramatic escalation of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign, Ukrainian defense forces have delivered a series of coordinated drone and missile attacks deep inside Russian territory and Russian-occupied areas, targeting critical military and industrial infrastructure. The strikes, carried out between the nights of November 24 and 26, 2025, mark some of the most far-reaching and complex operations by Ukraine since the start of the war, with repercussions felt across Russia’s Black Sea region and beyond.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the operation began late on November 24 and continued through the early hours of November 26, involving a flurry of Neptune cruise missiles, Bars jet-powered drones, and various unmanned aerial vehicles. The targets were not chosen at random: the Ukrainian military aimed at vital oil infrastructure, aviation repair plants, drone manufacturing facilities, air defense systems, and factories producing navigation equipment for Russian missiles and drones.
One of the most significant blows landed at the Sheskharis oil terminal in Novorossiysk, one of Russia’s largest oil export hubs, which handles nearly 40 million tons of crude annually. Ukrainian forces struck the terminal’s oil stands—equipment essential for loading and unloading tankers—causing visible damage. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium confirmed that one of its buildings at the terminal was hit, and photos shared by Russian sources showed the aftermath. In an attempt to thwart Ukrainian drone navigation and limit civilian reporting, Russian authorities cut mobile internet across Novorossiysk during the raid, as reported by Euromaidan Press.
The same night, Ukrainian drones and missiles also struck the Tuapse oil refinery, a key facility on the Black Sea coast with a capacity of up to 12 million tons per year. Explosions rang out in multiple cities in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, including Novorossiysk, Sochi, and Gelendzhik. In Crimea, which remains under Russian occupation, blasts were also reported. Russia’s air defense systems scrambled to intercept the incoming barrage, but in at least one instance, a Russian missile crashed into a residential building—a stark reminder of the risks such high-stakes engagements pose to civilians.
The Ukrainian General Staff detailed that five major Russian targets were attacked in this operation: the Beriev Aviation Plant (TANTK) in Taganrog, which services A-50 long-range radar aircraft and Tu-95MS strategic bombers; the Atlant Aero plant in Taganrog, a manufacturer of Molniya strike-reconnaissance drones and electronic warfare systems; the Sheskharis oil terminal; the Tuapse oil refinery; and, notably, a large landing ship of project 1171 moored at the Novorossiysk naval base. Hits were recorded on oil loading stands, manifolds, and the positions of S-300/S-400 air defense systems at Novorossiysk, according to sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as reported by RBC Ukraine.
Perhaps the most dramatic single strike was on the TANTK Beriev aircraft repair plant in Taganrog, where an experimental A-60 laser aircraft—Russia’s unique airborne laser weapon platform—was reportedly destroyed. The plant also repairs A-50 AWACS aircraft, critical to Russian aerial surveillance and command. According to the General Staff, at least three A-50 aircraft and one Tu-95MS bomber were undergoing repairs at the time of the strike. The Molniya-Atlant Aero UAV manufacturing enterprise, also in Taganrog, suffered damage, further hampering Russia’s drone warfare capabilities.
The following night, Ukraine’s campaign pushed even further. Long-range drones struck the VNIIR-Progress plant in Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic—a key producer of navigation systems and components for Russian cruise and ballistic missiles. The plant manufactures GNSS receivers and antennas for GLONASS, GPS, and Galileo systems, including the Kometa modules used in Shahed drones, Iskander-M and Kalibr missiles, and glide-bomb kits for FAB-500 to FAB-3000 bombs. The attack, carried out by Ukraine’s Madyar Birds drone unit, triggered a fire at the facility. According to Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, the unit’s commander, his group “pecked at” the plant, disrupting the assembly of Kometa modules designed to help Russian drones and missiles resist Ukrainian electronic warfare, as reported by Kyiv Post.
Multiple eyewitness videos, geolocated by open-source intelligence analysts, confirmed impacts on the plant and a nearby 12-story residential building. Regional authorities said debris from downed drones caused minor damage and injured two people. This was not the first time the factory had been targeted—previous strikes in June and July 2025 had temporarily halted its operations. The extent of the current damage is still being assessed.
Additional Ukrainian strikes during this period targeted a Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile system in Mariupol, ammunition depots in Ocheretyne and Kamianka in Russian-occupied Donetsk, and a Russian troop concentration on the Pokrovsk front line. The command post of the 58th Combined-Army in Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia region, was also hit. On November 20, Ukrainian forces attacked the Ryazan oil refinery and a Russian troop concentration in occupied Donetsk, showing a sustained pattern of deep strikes against Russian logistics and command infrastructure, according to Mezha.net.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight, reporting interceptions over Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Bryansk, and the Black Sea, but did not mention any drones intercepted over Chuvashia. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian General Staff described the raids as “complex, long-range air operations” designed to degrade Russia’s military and economic potential.
The human cost of these operations has not been insignificant. Three civilians were killed and at least ten injured in Taganrog during the attacks, according to local authorities. The risks to civilian populations on both sides remain acute, especially as urban and industrial centers become battlegrounds in this evolving conflict.
Meanwhile, the broader war rages on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian troops launched 22 missiles and more than 460 drones at Ukraine overnight, with some drones flying into Moldova and Romania. The primary targets were Ukraine’s energy sector and infrastructure supporting civilian life, with attacks striking Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy regions. “They also struck Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy regions. The primary targets were the energy sector and everything that keeps normal life going,” Zelenskyy said, underscoring the relentless pressure on Ukraine’s home front.
On the diplomatic front, former US President Donald Trump weighed in, stating that he would only meet with President Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin when a peace agreement is ready. “I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but only when the deal to end this war is final or, in its final stages,” Trump said, suggesting that negotiations may be inching closer but remain contingent on tangible progress toward peace. He added, “So I think we’re getting very close to a deal. We’ll find out. I thought that one would have gone quicker.”
As the front lines remain dynamic and Ukrainian defenders continue to adapt to local conditions, these latest strikes demonstrate Kyiv’s growing ability to hit high-value targets far behind Russian lines. With advanced long-range weaponry and increasingly sophisticated drone technology, Ukraine is signaling that nowhere is truly out of reach. The coming weeks will reveal just how much these blows have weakened Russia’s war machine—and whether they might nudge both sides closer to the negotiating table.
