Drones damaged the bridge over the Mius River on the R-280, Russia's highway from Rostov to occupied Mariupol and Crimea, on the morning of 8 November, Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar said. The road leading to the crossing was closed by midday. A day earlier, occupation officials said drone strikes on the grid had cut power to much of occupied Luhansk Oblast.

Russia's army in occupied southern Ukraine runs on roads, and for months Ukraine has been hitting the trucks that use them. The R-280 has been at the heart of that campaign, with drones hitting Russian vehicles on its occupied stretches. Ukraine's defense minister has said the strikes are turning occupied Crimea into an island. The Mius crossing lies on the Russian side of the same road, about 155 km from the front line.

A closed bridge on the road to Crimea

Slyusar said the drone attack and “falling debris” damaged the bridge deck at the 97th kilometer of the R-280 in Neklinovsky district, along with two crawler cranes. He reported no casualties. Traffic first crossed in alternating directions, but the governor later said the stretch of road leading to the bridge had been closed.

The R-280, which Russia calls the Novorossiya highway, links Rostov with occupied Mariupol, Melitopol, and Crimea and forms part of Russia's land route to the peninsula. Russia began widening the Mius bridge to four lanes in 2025. Ukraine has not commented on the attack. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it downed 142 drones overnight, including over Rostov Oblast and Crimea.

The bridge went out of service a day after Russia hit one in Kyiv. Russian strikes on 7 November damaged the capital's Northern Bridge, closing it in both directions, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. The attack damaged the road surface, a trolleybus line, and a power line, and the blast wave hit five trucks parked nearby, he added. In October, Russia struck Kyiv's Southern Bridge, and the city began preparing backup river crossings.

Occupied Luhansk Oblast loses power

Drone strikes on energy facilities left more than 300,000 customers in the south and center of occupied Luhansk Oblast without electricity on 7 November, the Russian-installed “government” said, Russian Telegram channel Astra reported. It said no one was hurt.

The night before: a missile-parts plant, a refinery, and Iskanders

Overnight on 7 November, Ukraine's missile forces hit the Proton-Electrotex plant in Oryol with Neptune coastal missiles, Ukraine's General Staff said, recording a hit, explosions, and a fire. The plant makes optoelectronic equipment, including modules for Kover cruise missiles and parts for Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Oryol, about 165 km from the Ukrainian border, had already been hit on 23 October. Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ posted footage of the strike.

Oryol Governor Andrei Klychkov acknowledged that the production premises of an enterprise in the city were partly damaged, Meduza reported. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the crew of a Neptune mobile missile system for hitting Russian military production in Oryol and Rostov Oblast.

The same night, drones set the Rosneft oil refinery in Saratov, about 600 km from the front line near Kupiansk, on fire, Astra found, citing footage from residents. A drone also exploded outside a car-parts shop about 2 km away, Astra added. Saratov Governor Roman Busargin preliminarily reported injured people and damage to civilian infrastructure, and later said several houses were damaged.

On 6 November and overnight, Ukrainian forces also hit two Iskander launchers and a Pantsir-S1 air defense system in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, as well as supply depots in occupied Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine's General Staff said, adding that the damage was still being assessed.