Ukrainian special forces struck two logistics facilities used by Russian troops in occupied Luhansk Oblast overnight on 3 November, according to the Special Operations Forces (SSO). The shared footage suggests that the SSO has used medium-range FP-2 drones, carrying 105 kg of explosives. Separately, Ukraine’s SBU security service released footage of its own drone strikes on Russian positions and logistics points in occupied territory, using the same FP-2s.

Ukrainian SOF destroys Russian fuel site and warehouse near Luhansk

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said their units conducted strikes on two Russian military logistics targets in occupied Luhansk Oblast in the early hours of 3 November. According to their statement, the operations aimed to disrupt supply lines supporting the Russian "Center"  military grouping.

One of the strikes reportedly hit a fuel unloading point near the town of Dovzhansk approximately 150 km behind the lines. The SSO's footage shows a strike on a fuel train at the facility.

Another SOF strike reportedly destroyed a supply warehouse near the village of Rozkishne, Luhansk's southern suburb, around 90 km from the frontline.

The military didn't mention the type of the drones used in both strikes. However, the released footage shows a first-person view and interface consistent with FP-2 drones.

The Ukrainian military stated that the successful strikes “created a fuel shortage and disrupted enemy logistics within the Russian ‘Center’ force grouping.”

SBU releases drone strike video from occupied territories

On the same day, Ukraine’s SBU security service released its own video footage showing drone attacks against Russian-used buildings in occupied territory. The agency did not specify the locations of the strikes.

According to the SBU, its Alpha unit carried out “a series of precise attacks” on Russian military positions and logistics infrastructure using FP-2 drones. The targeted sites included areas used for gathering vehicles and personnel involved in enemy logistics and troop distribution.

The SBU noted that the strikes were executed during the night and credited the drone’s explosive payload with ensuring the operation’s effectiveness. The agency emphasized that the targeted structures were critical to Russia’s operational planning and movement.

Ukrainian drone forces (SBS) struck five power substations overnight on 1–2 November in Russian territory and occupied Ukrainian areas, disabling over 5000 MVA of energy infrastructure, the SBS commander reported. 

Five substations hit in Russia and occupied territory, "Madyar" says

Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces Robert “Madyar” Brovdi wrote on 2 November that five substations were struck out of eight targeted, including one in coordination with Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces. He specified that the total affected capacity was 5066 MVA.

“Reflections of blackout: 5 out of 8,” he wrote, describing the strike as involving substations rated at 500 kV and above.

Brovdi stated that the attack was carried out by the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, formed from the former 14th SBS regiment. 

Lipetsk strikes

One of the independently confirmed targets was the 500 kV Lipetskaya substation in Gryazi, Lipetsk Oblast. Ukrainian Telgram channel Supernova+ identifyed the site as a critical energy hub for central Russia’s power network. It connects major 500 kV transmission lines and supplies regional industry, including the NLMK steel plant.

Exilenova+ and Russian news Telegram channel Astra initially reported a possible hit on a railway substation in nearby Usman, Lipetsk Oblast, but later Exilenova+ clarified that the real target was the Lipetskaya 500 kV substation in Gryazi.

Zheleznogorsk substation struck in Kursk Oblast

Shared videos confirmed an attack on a substation in the city of Zheleznogorsk, Kursk Oblast. Telegram channels said the first drones appeared around 22:00 on 1 November. At least 15 drones were seen before explosions and fire were recorded. The strike led to power outages and water supply issues in parts of the city.

According to Russian media, the targeted site was a 330 kV substation. Zheleznogorsk is home to the Mikhailovsky ore enrichment plant, a major component of the Russian military-industrial supply chain. Militarnyi noted that the plant is under US sanctions and produces materials used in armor-grade steel.

Substation hit in occupied Alchevsk

Telegram channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ reported that drones hit the 220 kV “Alchevska” substation in Alchevsk, a city in occupied Luhansk Oblast. Videos showed visible fire at the impact point. The OSINT channel Cyberboroshno provided geolocation data matching the substation's coordinates.

Leonid Pasechnik, head of the Russian-installed occupation administration in Luhansk Oblast, confirmed a “massive drone attack” on energy infrastructure. He said substations had been hit in four so-called "municipalities": Alchevsk, Perevalsk, Slovianoserbsk, and Stakhanov. These are not Ukrainian administrative units but occupation-imposed divisions. Moreover, former Stakhanov has been renamed as Kadiivka post-decommunization.

Perevalsk lies adjacent to Alchevsk and shared the same trolleybus system before the occupation.

Additional reports from Russian and occupied areas

Exilenova+ also reported drone activity and explosions in Russia's Oryol Oblast and Lazorevskoe, Krasnodar Krai. A drone-related fire was reported in occupied Crimea.

In Oryol, locals posted about possible new strikes, with one post suggesting a repeated attack on the local thermal power plant.

In Krasnodar Krai's Lazorevskoye, explosions were likely linked to a separate Ukrainian strike on the Tuapse oil terminal. 

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In occupied Crimea, Exilenova+ and Supernova+ published footage from Hurzuf showing a fire on Ayuv Dağ ("Bear Mountain"). The blaze could have been caused by drone debris or a miss.

Ukrainian military intelligence drones destroyed two Russian Podlet radars, a SAM S-300V's launcher, and a truck carrying troops in occupied eastern Ukraine, the agency reported on 28 October. The HUR released a video showing its special unit, striking the targets. The intelligence did not disclose the exact dates or locations of the latest attacks, saying only that the attacks took place over the past two week in the Donbas—a historic region, including to easternmost oblasts of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Ghosts hit Russian air defenses in Donbas

The Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine said its special operations unit Prymary ("Ghosts") continued systematic work against Russian air defense systems in the Donbas over the past two weeks.

According to the HUR, the unit hit two 48Ya6-K1 Podlet radar stations and a 9A82 launcher from the S-300V surface-to-air missile system.

The HUR footage also shows a strike on a KamAZ truck carrying Russian troops. The HUR referred to the elimination of the vehicle and its occupants as a “bonus.”

Ongoing campaign against Russian air defenses

Over the past month, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence and armed forces have destroyed a series of high-value Russian radar and missile systems across occupied regions and inside Russia.

• Earlier in October, the Ghosts hit three radar stations in occupied Crimea — a 96L6 from the S-400 Triumf system, a P-18 Terek, and a 55Zh6U Nebo-U.
• HUR drones destroyed two more radars — a Nebo-SVU and a Buk-M3 launcher — in southern Ukraine.
• In a separate strike, the Ukrainian Armed Forces targeted another Buk-M3 launcher at an undisclosed location in occupied territory.
• HUR also struck a Valdai radar site in Crimea
• The army also hit a Garmon radar with an Iskander transporter-loader vehicle in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

The Ukrainian Army's Special Operations Forces (SSO) struck Russian-controlled fuel infrastructure in occupied Luhansk Oblast overnight on 27 October. They reported destroying a front-line fuel storage site in Starobilsk and an oil depot in Luhansk city. The footage, shared by the SSO, showed fires in Starobilsk, yet the damage from the Luhansk strike remains unconfirmed.

Special forces strike fuel targets overnight

The SSO reported that the strikes targeted logistical sites used by Russian forces in the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast. The attack was carried out by drones at a time when the fuel tanks were filled, which they said intensified the effect.

Footage released by the SSO shows the first-person view from long-range drone strikes on 15 fuel tanks shaped like railway tankers, arranged in three rows of five each, in Starobilsk. The two following strikes show fires continuing after the previous hits.

The last segment of the video shows one drone strike on a large stationary fuel tank at the Luhansk oil depot. Unfortunately, no footage of subsequent Luhansk strikes was shared to confirm the damage.

Both cities are under 100 km behind the frontlines.

The SSO said such asymmetric strikes would continue to "accelerate the disruption of Russian offensive efforts."

Occupation authorities confirm infrastructure damage

Russian-installed Luhansk occupation authorities confirmed the strikes. Russian news Telegram channel Astra cited the so-called “deputy minister of fuel, energy, and coal industry of the LNR,” Andrei Eliseev, who claimed that administrative buildings, several fuel trucks, and fuel tanks were damaged.

Eliseev stated personnel were evacuated and that there were no casualties.

Russian leaders keep claiming non-existent major battlefield victories in Ukraine, yet these boasts are being publicly dismissed even by pro-war Russian milbloggers, who describe the situation on the ground as chaotic and accuse the military leadership of inflating results, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on 26 October.

Putin and Gerasimov outline sweeping operations

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov have continued to issue claims of major battlefield victories while reaffirming the Kremlin’s intent to capture all of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

ISW says Putin held a meeting on 26 October with Gerasimov and commanders of Russia’s groupings of forces. The event drew attention because Putin appeared in military uniform—only the third such appearance since the start of the full-scale invasion and just weeks after the previous one on 16 September. During his report to Putin, Gerasimov said Russian forces were continuing operations to seize all territory within the four illegally annexed Ukrainian oblasts.

He further claimed that Russian forces from the Western Grouping had ostensibly encircled Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast. According to him, detachments from the 68th Motorized Rifle Division crossed the Oskil River south of the town and, together with units from the 47th Tank Division and 27th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Guards Tank Army, had allegedly cut off Ukrainian troops on the eastern bank. Gerasimov stated that 18 Ukrainian battalions were trapped in Kupiansk.

He also declared Russian progress in the northeast and east of Ukraine, including the seizure of more than 70% of Vovchansk, completion of fighting in Yampil, and the capture of Dronivka and Pleshchiivka. Gerasimov said Russian troops continued urban fighting in Siversk and Kostiantynivka.

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Russian milbloggers openly challenge the official version

Several Russian milbloggers said the claims of encirclements in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk were false. One wrote that a wide corridor still separates Russian groups west and north of Pokrovsk, while another pointed out that Russian fire control over Ukrainian supply lines does not mean a full encirclement.

Others highlighted the porous nature of the front and said that Russian forces often declare towns captured while Ukrainian troops still hold positions there. One described the situation in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk as “100% chaos.” Another blogger said Gerasimov was “getting ahead of himself again,” predicting that the general expected reality to eventually align with his optimistic reports. That same source argued that the exaggerated claims were meant to influence US President Donald Trump by giving him the impression that Ukrainian forces faced collapse.

"Gerasimov similarly presented exaggerated territorial claims in late August 2025, including about Kupiansk, that Russian milbloggers heavily criticized," ISW wrote.

A midday explosion in the center of Russian-occupied Luhansk killed Manolis Pilavov, the city's former Russian-installed mayor, Russian state news agency TASS reported on July 3.

Pilavov headed the occupation administration of Luhansk city from December 2014 until stepping down in November 2023. He had been wanted in Ukraine since 2015 on charges including attempting to violently overthrow the constitutional order and violating Ukraine's territorial integrity.

The blast occurred around noon local time, according to TASS. Three people were reportedly injured, one of them in serious condition.

Ukraine has not commented on Pilavov's reported death. Explosions targeting collaborators and occupation officials have become more frequent in recent months.

Pilavov, born in 1964, held several posts in the local Luhansk administration before Russia occupied parts of Ukraine's eastern Luhansk Oblast in 2014.  

He served as a city council member representing the now-banned pro-Russian Party of Regions and later actively supported the local Russian occupation administration.

Ukrainian authorities say Pilavov participated in separatist propaganda events and encouraged support for Moscow's proxy occupation structures shortly after Russian-backed militants took control of parts of Luhansk Oblast in 2014.

Luhansk remains under Russian occupation, with its city center and government institutions controlled by Kremlin-installed proxies.

BREAKING: Deputy commander of Russian Navy killed in Ukrainian strike in Kursk, Russian official confirms

Major General Mikhail Gudkov also led a brigade involved in combat operations against Ukraine. His death reportedly occurred during a Ukrainian attack on a Russian command post.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a Russian logistics hub and an oil depot in Russian-occupied Luhansk and a military base in occupied Donetsk on June 30 and July 1, with fires breaking out in the two cities.

"Russian logistics in temporarily occupied Luhansk are burning," head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation Andrii Kovalenko said.

The drone attack was reported by the local media, publishing what appear to be videos of the burning logistics hub and the sound of drones.

Leonid Pasechnik, head of the Russian occupation authorities in Luhansk Oblast, reported that air defenses shot down 35 of the 40 drones over Luhansk Oblast. Drone wreckage fell on the premises of an oil depot, and a woman was injured, Pasechnik claimed.

Overnight Ukrainian attacks were also reported in occupied Donetsk, with Telegram news channels sharing apparent footage of damaged buildings and fires in the city.

Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk Oblast, claimed that one person was killed and three were injured in the attack. Ukrainian news channel Supernova+ reported that the attack targeted the headquarters of Russia’s 8th Combined Arms Army.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.

Ukraine's military regularly strikes military targets in Russian-occupied territories and deep within Russia in an attempt to diminish Moscow's fighting power as it continues its war against Ukraine.

Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) destroyed three Russian air defense systems using drones in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast on June 14.

"Strike drone masters of the Department of Active Operations of the HUR of the Ukrainian defense ministry discovered and destroyed expensive air defense systems of the Russian invaders in the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region," HUR reported in a post to Telegram.

A Russian Buk-M3, a Pantsyr S1, and a 9S19 Imbir radar from the S-300V air defense system were destroyed in the Ukrainian drone attack.

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The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk