Russia strikes cargo vessels, steel plants across Ukraine

Russia’s Defence Ministry announced strikes on multiple industrial targets across Ukraine, saying its forces struck the Zaporizhstal steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, an Interpipe Steel complex in Dnipro and several facilities in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The ministry also reported that two cargo vessels were hit overnight at the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, according to the Interfax news agency. The statements came after Ukraine reportedly launched drones into Russia’s Samara region. Ukraine’s General Staff said one drone struck the Togliattikauchuk plant, which produces synthetic rubbers and fuel additives used in missile propellants. Russian regional officials described damage to residential buildings in Togliatti and a single injury, while authorities in Taganrog reported commercial properties catching fire. Moscow’s Defence Ministry additionally said its forces had shot down some 230 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple Russian regions, as well as over Crimea and the Azov and Black seas. At the same time, Ukrainian officials reported deadly and damaging strikes inside Ukraine: at least two people were killed in attacks on petrol stations in Kyiv, other fatalities were reported in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv regions, and dozens more were wounded in multiple incidents, including an overnight attack in Odesa. Both sides have increasingly targeted industrial and energy-related infrastructure since the 2022 invasion, with Russia repeatedly striking power grids, defence plants and logistics hubs in Ukraine and Kyiv mounting long-range attacks on Russian industrial sites and oil refineries. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Deutsche Welle he would be willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Florida in December if both leaders were invited.