Ukrainian drones reportedly target key logistics hub in southwestern Russia
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck the Russian city of Novocherkassk in Rostov Oblast on July 22, while a Ukrainian official said that a railway hub used by the Russian military was targeted.
The alleged attack comes amid Kyiv's ongoing long-range drone campaign, aimed at crippling Russia's ability to sustain its all-out war by targeting key industrial and military facilities in the rear.
Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed Ukrainian drone attacks against Novocherkassk and other areas in the region. Drone wreckage started fires across the city, and three people were injured, one of them seriously, the governor claimed.
Drones may have targeted the local railway station and the Novocherkassk State District Power Plant, Russian Telegram channels Baza and Astra reported, citing local residents.
"In Novocherkassk in Rostov Oblast, the railway infrastructure used by the military-industrial complex and the Russian military came under attack," said Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
"This logistical hub connects strategic directions: Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh, Volgograd, and Kamensk-Shakhtinsky. It is through this hub that the transfer of equipment, ammunition, fuel resources, and personnel to the Ukrainian border is carried out."
According to the official, the city also houses the facilities of Russia's 1061st Material and Technical Support Center of the Southern Military District, which are responsible for arms and fuel supplies.
Novocherkassk, a southwestern Russian city of 160,000 residents, lies around 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
"Hubs like Novocherkassk are the arteries that feed the Russian war machine. Without them, supplies to the front stop," Kovalenko said.
Thirty-three Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were downed over Russia overnight, including 11 over Rostov Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed. Russian officials have not confirmed any damage to military or strategic facilities in Novocherkassk.
The Ukrainian military has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
