Russian Forces Concentrate Record Drone Strikes on Kirovohrad Region, Expand Attacks on Industry, Rail, and Airfields

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On the night of October 15, 2026, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a combined strike on Ukraine using two Kh-59 guided missiles and 580 attack drones and decoy drones. The main effort was concentrated on Kirovohrad Region, where strikes continued for more than ten hours and hit industrial facilities, logistics complexes, and railway infrastructure. Strikes were also carried out against port infrastructure in Odesa Region, traction substations, and aviation infrastructure in western Ukraine. In response, Ukraine attempted a massive attack on the Ryazan oil refinery, which was repelled by air defense forces.

Russian Strikes on Ukraine
Kirovohrad Region
Logistics and warehouse facilities (Kropyvnytskyi). Kirovohrad Region came under the most massive attack since the start of the conflict: according to Andriy Raikovych, head of the Region Military Administration, nearly 360 drones attacked the region, with impacts recorded at 25 locations. In Kropyvnytskyi, strikes hit company premises, logistics centers, and warehouses. Among the affected facilities were Focus-Logistics, a warehouse complex operated by a company with critical-infrastructure status; warehouse buildings of SE Kombinat Trykutnyk, part of Ukraine’s state material reserve system; a cargo branch of Nova Poshta; and a distribution center of Veresen Plus LLC, operator of the Faino Market chain.

Industrial facilities (Kropyvnytskyi). Three drone strikes hit the premises of Gradoil LLC, a full-cycle oil-extraction complex that processes sunflower and rapeseed; fire engulfed administrative and warehouse buildings covering more than 1,000 square meters. Three drones struck Penoplast Center LLC, a production and warehouse facility in the polymer sector, with the fire spreading across roughly 800 square meters. A separate strike hit the former industrial complex of PrJSC Kreativ, historically one of the city’s largest oil-and-fat enterprises, whose production facilities continue to be used by other operators after the legal entity’s bankruptcy. A production workshop of Intermash Prom LLC in Oleksandriia was also hit, with fire engulfing more than 300 square meters. The company was registered in August 2026, and its initial business profile included the production of weapons and ammunition.

Railway infrastructure. Four attack drones successively hit the railway complex in Pomichna. According to available information, the strike hit the locomotive complex, but the fire was recorded in a building belonging to the railcar repair facility responsible for repairing freight rolling stock. In addition, the Sharivka and Suhokliia traction substations were hit, and electric train service was halted.

Odesa Region
Port of Izmail and maritime vessels. Port infrastructure at the Port of Izmail was damaged; it was used for unloading and storing military and dual-use cargo. In addition, two bulk carriers were hit while underway at sea.

Traction substations. In Rozdilna Raion, a drone struck the EChE-24 traction substation, causing an oil fire covering about 350 square meters. In Izmail Raion, an attack drone exploded near the Prymorske substation.

Ternopil Region
Chortkiv — SE Bordnetze cable production. Russian drones hit the Chortkiv branch of SE Bordnetze-Ukraine LLC (SEBN), part of the international Sumitomo Electric Bordnetze network. A warehouse building was damaged, and fire engulfed more than 500 square meters. The facility produces electrical wiring systems and wiring harnesses for the automotive industry, including for the Volkswagen Golf 8, Audi A6, Audi e-tron, and Porsche J1. According to reports, the company’s cable-production capabilities were also used to manufacture components for Ukrainian long-range unmanned systems.

Vinnytsia Region
Vinnytsia — GreenCool plant. GreenCool is one of Ukraine’s largest refrigeration-equipment manufacturers and part of the UBC Group, with revenue exceeding UAH 2 billion. Open procurement data show four government tenders involving Green Cool LLC, with Ukrnafta as the main customer. The Zhmerynka locomotive depot and the area around the Kozyatyn-2 110 kV supporting traction substation were also attacked.

Zhytomyr Region
Chudniv-Volynskyi traction substation.
Vilshanka traction substation.

Khmelnytskyi Region
Starokostiantyniv — radar station. Two Geran-5 jet-powered drones hit a P-37 radar position at Starokostiantyniv airfield. The radar itself was destroyed. The P-37 is an air-surveillance asset that provides commanders with a picture of the air situation in their area of responsibility. Radar coverage is designed with overlapping zones, so the airfield does not become completely “blind,” but the destruction of an operational air-surveillance asset is a concrete loss for an airfield that has regularly come under attack.

Volyn Region
Lutsk — airfield. The strike hit the Lutsk airfield, where the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade is stationed. One of the impacts occurred near the guardhouse.

Ivano-Frankivsk Region
Kolomyia — airfield. Two Geran-5 jet-powered drones attacked Kolomyia military airfield. The main radar equipment and flight infrastructure were not damaged. According to available information, the airfield is still used to receive transport aircraft and move military cargo. The two impacts did not disrupt this function, but the fact that strike assets returned to Kolomyia after a long pause indicates that the airfield has once again become a target of attention.

Dnipropetrovsk Region
Dnipro — repeated strike on DAO. This was not the first strike on the site: earlier attacks had already hit the same complex, causing a major fire and damage to its production and logistics building. Repeated strikes are the key factor here: each new attack compounds the existing damage.

Kyiv Region
Borodianka — ARTISAN construction-mix production. The strike targeted the production site of Artel LLC, better known under the ARTISAN trademark, which produces dry and liquid construction mixes. A review of procurement records shows that ARTISAN products are systematically present in supply chains for Ukrainian security forces: construction materials appear in purchases by several Armed Forces of Ukraine units as well as National Guard units; in 2026, its products were included in purchases classified as defense-related.

Poltava Region
Naftogaz facility. On the night of October 15, Russian forces attacked gas-production infrastructure belonging to Naftogaz Group in Poltava Region. The drone strike damaged process equipment, started a fire at the facility, and suspended operations.

Strikes on Russia
Ryazan Region
During the night of October 15, Ukrainian forces attempted a massive attack on the oil refinery in Ryazan. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed four Flamingo long-range cruise missiles and 69 fixed-wing drones. A fire broke out at the refinery after drone debris fell on its grounds. In total, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 166 Ukrainian drones were shot down over 14 Russian regions on the night of October 15.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on the strikes on Russian refineries, said: “Yesterday they tried to strike some refineries, and they hit a few places. Nothing significant, but they continue nonetheless.” Putin emphasized that Russia will respond to strikes on refineries, logistics, and energy facilities: “They made the first move. We began responding. They should not have started.”

The Russian strikes on Ukraine on October 15 were marked by an exceptionally high concentration of forces in the Kirovohrad direction: nearly 360 drones targeted a single region, making this the largest attack on the region. The main effort was directed at the industrial and logistics network of Kropyvnytskyi, as well as railway power infrastructure in Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr Regions. Damage to the Sharivka, Suhokliia, and Chudniv-Volynskyi traction substations caused localized halts in electric traction and creates risks for rail service on the affected sections. At the same time, strikes on the Starokostiantyniv, Lutsk, and Kolomyia airfields continue the attrition of aviation infrastructure in western Ukraine.

In the medium term, the combination of strikes on energy infrastructure and industrial facilities creates a cumulative effect that complicates the restoration of production chains. Repeated strikes on facilities that had already been damaged point to the systematic nature of the campaign, aimed not only at inflicting immediate damage but also at preventing recovery. Against the backdrop of statements by the Russian leadership about its readiness to respond to strikes on Russian infrastructure, a high tempo of mutual strikes should be expected to continue in the coming weeks.