Ukraine allegedly targets Russia’s Volgograd, Rostov, Kursk, and Astrakhan oblasts

Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian drones were intercepted in three regions of Russia, and missiles in the fourth, claiming industrial damage in Rostov. Volgograd airport was temporarily closed.

Nov 21, 2024 - 19:00
Ukraine allegedly targets Russia’s Volgograd, Rostov, Kursk, and Astrakhan oblasts

Aerial view of allegedly Ukraine's first-ever Storm Shadow missile strike inside Russia. Kursk Oblast, 20 November 2024. Photo: Telegram/Astra

Russian air defenses allegedly intercepted Ukrainian drones overnight in the Volgograd, Rostov, and Astrakhan oblasts in Russia, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) statements. Local Russian officials stated that one drone was allegedly downed near Rostov-on-Don, while another struck an industrial site in Rostov’s Konstantinovsky district, causing damage.

Early this morning, Russia launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine, followed in the afternoon by a second ICBM that disintegrated midair. Yesterday, Ukraine reportedly used Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles within Russian territory for the first time after restrictions were lifted. This year, Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone attacks against the military and fuel facilities within Russia, significantly disrupting fuel and ammunition supplies crucial for the Russian military. Many of such attacks targeted Russian bomb warehouses at airbases, ammunition depots, fuel processing and storage facilities deep inside Russia.

Volgograd airport was temporarily closed as a precaution, with Russia’s civil aviation authority citing safety concerns. Meanwhile, local reports suggested workers at the AO “Kaustik” chemical plant in Volgograd were temporarily barred from entering the facility during the alert.

In Astrakhan, residents reported drone activity near Akhtubinsk. While local authorities did not confirm strikes, local residents spotted drones flying over the region, while the region’s governor acknowledged heightened air defense and electronic warfare system operations, according to Russian news Telegram channel Astra.

Russia’s MoD claimed a broader scale of attacks over the last day and night, stating it had intercepted 67 drones, six HIMARS projectiles, and two Storm Shadow missiles overnight. However, pro-Russian military bloggers reported that a Storm Shadow missile struck the Baryatinsky estate in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, currently used as a presidential administration sanatorium (health resort).

A later update yesterday reported that the day’s strike with British long-range missiles hit an area near the “Maryino” estate, which houses a presidential administration sanatorium, according to aerial footage shared online. Dnipro OSINT indicated the strike targeted a Russian communications hub located near the residence.

These Russian reports follow Ukraine’s report of a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile strike on Dnipro earlier today, which some commentators suggest was Russia’s retaliation for the Storm Shadow use on the Russian soil, although the Ukrainian sources reported the preparations for the ICBM launch a day earlier.

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