The war in Ukraine has reached a new critical point of escalation in recent hours.
A series of massive drone and missile attacks marked the night of August 12, with the strikes hitting both critical infrastructure deep in the Russian Federation's rear and residential areas in Ukraine. The heaviest economic blow for Moscow is the complete shutdown of Russia's largest petrochemical complex in Siberia after a successful operation by Ukrainian forces.
Siberian gas giant „ZapSibNeftekhim“ has stopped work indefinitely
The Russian petrochemical complex „ZapSibNeftekhim“ in the city of Tobolsk (Tyumen region, Western Siberia) has completely ceased its production activities. The decision to close the site indefinitely was made to assess the damage after a devastating attack with long-range drones, the authoritative world agency reported. Reuters (reuters.com).
According to data from the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, the attacking drones traveled a record distance of over 2,000 kilometers to hit the central gas fractionation plant of the holding company “Sibur“. The affected plant produces about 6 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) annually, which represents nearly 40% of Russia's total production. The shutdown of the complex has already caused turmoil on the St. Petersburg International Commodity Exchange, where deliveries from Tobolsk were completely wiped out of today's schedules, threatening the country with a domestic fuel crisis.
A fire in a shopping mall in Zaporozhye and thousands of households without electricity
At the same time, Russian occupation forces launched heavy air strikes on the city of Zaporozhye. The head of the Zaporozhye Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, reported on his Telegram channel that an enemy hit had caused a huge fire in a well-known commercial facility.
Affected object: The fire broke out in the building of a hypermarket from the chain „Epicenter“ in one of the sleeping areas of the city. Power Collapse: The attack resulted in the disruption of key power lines, leaving over 1200 users without power. Damage to civilian buildings: A private home in the neighborhood was also damaged with broken windows and a destroyed fence. Victims: According to preliminary data, no citizens were injured, and the teams of “Zaporozhieoblenergo“ are waiting for security to stabilize before repairs can begin.The news agency TSN (tsn.ua) confirmed the incident, publishing footage of the raging fire.
Russian drone attacks apartment building in Odessa
The southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa also became a target of Russian terror overnight. The head of the Odessa Regional Military Administration, Oleg Kiper, and the head of the City Military Administration, Sergei Lysak, reported a direct hit in a densely populated area.
An enemy unmanned aerial vehicle of the “Shahed“ crashed directly into the 5th floor of a multi-family residential building. According to a report by the Ukrainian media „Украинская правда“ (pravda.com.ua), fortunately the owners of the apartment were not in the property at the time of the explosion. Emergency rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the scene and an operational headquarters was deployed to provide assistance to those living in the block.
A massive swarm of drones attacks Sevastopol
The temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula experienced one of the most intense nights since the beginning of the month. The Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, announced on social media that Russian air defenses, the navy and mobile fire groups had repelled a “massive attack“.
According to official Russian statements, more than 30 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the city. However, falling debris caused damage in the Balaklava region, where the windows and roofs of three apartment buildings and five private houses were damaged. Local sources quoted by the media „Censor.NET“ (censor.net) and „Krym.Realii“ (krymr.com), also reported local fires in forests and grasslands near the city, as well as serious problems with the destabilization of the peninsula's energy network.
Thanks to the precise planning of Ukrainian forces, the strikes on Russia's economic heartland in Siberia show that not a single strategic object of the aggressor is protected anymore, regardless of the distance to the front line.