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On the night of August 16, Russian forces carried out combined strikes on military facilities in eight regions of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack involved Oniks anti-ship missiles, Iskander-M/S-400/KN-23 ballistic missiles, Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles, as well as 106 strike UAVs.
The strikes focused on defense industry facilities in Kyiv, an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, Poltava Region, and a metallurgical plant in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Region.
In Kyiv, two industrial enterprises were hit: FIRE POINT LLC, which produces components, warheads, and solid-fuel boosters for Flamingo ground-based cruise missiles, as well as the KIEV-111 enterprise (UKRDEFENSE COMPANY LLC), which manufactures components for strike UAVs, Khrushch interceptor UAVs, and Harpia drone interceptors.
In Kryvyi Rih, the territory of the metallurgical plant and Ukraine’s largest mining and metallurgical enterprise — ArcelorMittal — was on fire. The main production facilities of the energy and blast-furnace operations were damaged. Fires were also reported at the Kryvyi Rih Cement plant and nearby warehouses.
Large-scale fires were recorded at the Kremenchuk oil refinery in Poltava Region. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the surviving tank farm of the facility was being used for transshipment of fuels and lubricants arriving from abroad.
Special attention was given to port infrastructure in Odesa Region. In the port of Odesa, a dry cargo ship carrying military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine was struck, as well as warehouses with military equipment. During the day, strike UAVs hit three dry cargo ships and two tankers used for delivering military cargo and fuels and lubricants for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as fuel storage tanks.
In the settlement of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (40 km southwest of Odesa), a production workshop and a warehouse for warheads and components for unmanned surface vessels was struck — vessels that had been used for attacks on maritime vessels and energy infrastructure facilities in the Black Sea, as well as Russian cities on the Black Sea coast. In the settlement of Vylkove (138 km southwest of Odesa), a berth for patrol boats of the Ukrainian Naval Forces was struck — boats that had been involved in escorting maritime vessels with military cargo and fuel into ports. Additionally, in the Black Sea east of Odesa, a dry cargo ship delivering Western weapons to Ukraine was struck.
According to Ukrainian monitoring resources, all missiles reached their targets. Of the 106 strike UAVs, some were suppressed by electronic warfare means.
Ukrainian Strikes on Russia
Ukrainian forces carried out a massive UAV strike on the territory of 17 Russian regions. Overnight, Russian air defense forces shot down 822 Ukrainian UAVs.
In Moscow Region, several major logistics facilities were attacked. In Podolsk, a Wildberries warehouse caught fire, covering an area of up to 250 thousand square meters — this is the company’s largest logistics center and main distribution hub, processing millions of orders per day. In total, over time, according to media reports, Ukrainian forces have put out of commission 7 out of 10 of Wildberries’ largest logistics centers.
In Domodedovo, the Severnoye Domodedovo multimodal complex and a pharmaceutical warehouse known as the “Green Warehouses” caught fire. The fires continued to intensify, with flames engulfing a significant portion of the warehouse facilities, and a column of black smoke visible for tens of kilometers. In Kashira, a new police department building was damaged; in Voskresensk, an industrial facility was hit.
Additionally, Ukrainian forces carried out a missile strike on an industrial facility in Samara. According to OSINT resources, the target may have been the Progress Rocket Space Center — the plant where Soyuz-2.1b rockets are assembled. These are the rockets that launched the first batches of Russia’s Rassvet satellites. Ukrainian analysts had previously published a map of Russian space program facilities, including the main office, mission control center, and solar panel production facility in Moscow, satellite assembly and testing in Krasnogorsk, a terminal plant under construction in Dubna, and other facilities.
The Sunday Times, citing sources in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that Kyiv had used British-made UAVs for strikes deep into Russia for the first time. In particular, the Nyan drone, made by the British company Callen-Lenz, was allegedly used in attacks on oil refineries in Volgograd and Yaroslavl. Retired Air Marshal Greg Bagwell stated that this could make factories in Britain “legitimate targets” for Moscow.
It is noteworthy that despite large-scale strikes on military enterprises and infrastructure in Ukraine, Russian military capabilities against Kyiv remain deliberately limited. According to sources, the General Staff had repeatedly proposed to President Putin that he sharply escalate strikes on the Ukrainian capital, reporting that they had sufficient forces to inflict critical damage in a short period.
Putin did not grant permission for such a scenario. The presumed main reason is fear of finally derailing the negotiation track with the United States. According to sources, Putin fears that a massive strike on Kyiv’s infrastructure would be perceived by Washington as a demonstrative refusal by Moscow to make attempts to reach an agreement, after which President Trump could finally withdraw from his mediating role and give Kyiv significantly more freedom of action.
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