Explosions were recorded in Novorossiysk overnight on 14 November as Ukrainian forces conducted a combined missile and drone strike on the Russian Black Sea port city, 300-400 km from the southern sections of the frontline in Ukraine. Fires were observed at an oil terminal and military installations, with video footage, satellite imagery, and local reports confirming multiple impact sites across the area.

Ukrainian drones and missiles hit multiple targets in Novorossiysk

The attack began around midnight, with explosions reported in various districts of Novorossiysk in southern Russia's Krasnodar Krai.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ published multiple videos and images from the scene. In one of the videos, a woman is heard descibing an explosion she saw before starting to film the video and then reacting to a new sudden blast: “It lit up just like this.”

Eyewitness footage showed significant fires and rising smoke in multiple locations. 

Several videos captured Russian air defense launches, including one missile falling into the sea and another—or the same recorded from the opposite angle—illuminating the horizon.

Posting two clips of a particularly large explosion, Exilenova+ first stated that the strike hit military unit 52522, likely at an ammunition depot, and identified the point of view's coordinates as 44.6714567471, 37.7787317922. An updated post said a suspected S-400 air defense system position was located behind a “Lenta” mall, seen in the clips. Open-source researchers from the Cyberboroshno community stated that S-300 or S-400 positions belonging to military unit 1537 of the Kuban anti-aircraft missile regiment were hit.

Chernomortransneft terminal ablaze, oil exports halted

Videos showed that during the air assault, fires broke out at Transneft's Chernomortransneft oil terminal in the Sheskharis area of Novorossiysk following the aerial attack. The site is a key point in the Transneft pipeline network. NASA’s FIRMS satellite system also recorded numerous fire outbreaks in the Novorossiysk area.

Reuters cited two unnamed industry sources who said that Transneft's oil exports from Novorossiysk were suspended after the attack.

Due to the overnight attack, the airports in Krasnodar and Gelendzhik temporarily suspended operations.

Ukraine reveals new Neptune launcher platform

On 14 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published a video showing a modified launcher for the “Long Neptune” cruise missile.

Militarnyi notes that the system is mounted on a Tatra chassis and fitted with square transport-launch containers designed for two longer missiles. Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces used the Long Neptunes successfully overnight against designated targets in Russian territory.

The Ukrainian strikes came amid Russia's massive air and drone attack on Kyiv. Zelenskyy called the Ukrainian strike a “just response to continued Russian terror” and stated that Ukrainian missiles demonstrate growing accuracy and effectiveness each month. 

Russia issues official statements

Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defense forces shot down 66 Ukrainian drones over Krasnodar Krai during the night. 

The emergency task force of Krasnodar Krai acknowledged damage to the oil depot at the Sheskharis transshipment complex and a "civilian" ship in the port — possibly an oil tanker of Russia's "shadow fleet," used to circumvent G7's oil sanctions. 

It also claimed that drone debris have fallen in several areas of the city.

In the early hours of 3 November, explosions shook the Russian city of Saratov as several Telegram channels shared footage and local accounts pointing to a Ukrainian drone strike on the city’s oil refinery. Later that day, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the refinery had been hit.

Saratov oil refinery struck again in confirmed Ukrainian drone attack

Initial reports began surfacing around 00:50 Kyiv time, when residents of Saratov and the nearby city of Engels heard powerful blasts and the operation of air defense systems.

Supernova+, a Ukrainian Telegram channel, shared a photo showing smoke over the refinery and commented that air defense systems were active above the site.

The Ukrainian Telegram channel, Exilenova+, published footage of a drone strike, confirming a strike on the refinery. 

According to the Russian Telegram channel Shot, locals described a series of explosions in the sky, which continued intermittently for about an hour as of time of the reporting. Shot said people across Balakovo and Kalininsky districts of Saratov Oblast reported hearing drones and loud detonations.

Dnipro OSINT geolocated the video, stating it captured a Ukrainian drone hitting the Saratov refinery’s AVT-6 crude distillation unit. 

Russian Telegram channel Astra also reviewed the visuals and also concluded that the target of the attack was the Saratov refinery, noting that the impacted area appeared to be covered with a protective net.

"It is worth noting that the video already shows a source of fire in the western part of the plant, possibly near the storage tanks," Astra added.

One of Russia’s largest oil refineries repeatedly targeted

The Saratov oil refinery is among the largest industrial fuel facilities in Russia. It produces gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, road and roofing bitumen, vacuum gas oil, and technical sulfur. The plant is owned by Rosneft and processed around 5.8 million tons of oil in 2024–2.2% of all oil refined in Russia that year. In 2023, it processed 4.8 million tons.

Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi noted that the refinery has already been targeted seven times in 2025 by Ukrainian drones. Astra said that this was at least the sixth confirmed strike.

Ukraine’s military intelligence drones struck key Russian radars and a landing craft in occupied Crimea on 26 October. The drones evaded both missile strikes and small arms fire, continuing a targeted campaign to degrade Moscow’s air defense network.

Ukrainian Ghosts hit radars and landing craft in occupied Crimea

According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, drones from its Prymary (Ghosts) special unit of  carried out new attacks in Russian-occupied Crimea, targeting and damaging multiple pieces of high-value military equipment, including three radar systems, and a Russian Navy boat.

According to the 26 October update from HUR, the strike destroyed the following Russian assets:

• a 96L6 radar from the S-400 Triumf air defense system,
• a P-18 Terek radar,
• a 55Zh6U Nebo-U radar,
• and a BK-16 landing craft.

Video released by HUR shows one drone dodging a missile fired from a Pantsir S1 system moments before striking a radar installation. Another scene captures a Russian landing craft attempting to fend off a drone with small arms fire before being hit.

A bomber drone of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) damaged a Russian S-300 or S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile launcher overnight. The SBU showed the strike in a video compilation of its drone attacks on various Russian equipment. The agency didn't specify in which sector of the front and when exactly it occurred. S-300 and S-400 systems are long-range Soviet-developed and modernized surface-to-air missile systems designed to intercept aircraft and missiles.

SBU's video also shows the FPV and bomber drone attacks on several other pieces of Russian equipment, including tanks, vehicles, and a motor pool belonging to the occupying forces. Unlike most FPV drone footage, the SBU’s clips of FPV strikes include not only the FPV view that ends at the moment of impact but also additional reconnaissance drone footage showing the resulting explosion.

"We continue to work and mercilessly avenge the invaders,” SBU noted.

Ukrainian drone damages launcher on combat duty

According to Militarnyi, the SBU’s bomber drone hit a launcher that was on combat duty. The drone dropped two small bombs, which struck the launcher vehicle but did not trigger the detonation of the nearby missile containers.

The footage published by the SBU shows that the attack took place at night. The launchers were first detected by a reconnaissance aircraft equipped with a thermal camera. After locating the targets, operators deployed the bomber drone to neutralize them.

Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency destroyed two Russian radar stations and a Buk‑M3 surface‑to‑air missile launcher in occupied southern Ukraine. The operation, carried out on 23 and 24 October 2025, struck targets in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea. The drone footage shared by HUR shows that strikes were conducted using long-range drones equipped with FPV thermal cameras, allowing precise engagement of high-value systems at night.

Two Nebo-SVUs and a Buk destroyed

On 24 October, the HUR confirmed the elimination of three major Russian high-value air defense components. The operation was carried out by the HUR’s Department of Active Operations on 23 and 24 October, targeting two Nebo‑SVU radar stations and one Buk‑M3 launcher.

The destroyed systems were located in temporarily occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Kherson Oblast, and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, according to the report.

Conflicting identifications

Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported different system types, stating that the radars destroyed were Nioby‑SV rather than Nebo‑SVU. The Nioby‑SV is a three-coordinate radar operating in the meter band with a vertical active antenna. Introduced to Russian air defense units in 2016, it detects both aerodynamic and ballistic objects, identifies them, and determines the origin of active jamming. The system is capable of operating at distances from 5 to 500 kilometers, and detecting threats at altitudes up to 65 kilometers, with an elevation range from −10 to 35 degrees.

Whether the radar was Nebo‑SVU or Nioby‑SV, both models provide early-warning functions critical to Russian air defense and are considered high-priority targets.