Ukraine Strikes Russian Missile Plant in Rostov, Hits Kstovo Oil Refinery

Ukraine has carried out long-range strikes targeting a Russian missile manufacturing plant and oil production infrastructure behind enemy lines, according to statements by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. The latest military actions come as a six-day local ceasefire reaches its final day around the front-line town of Oleshky, though fighting elsewhere along the front line and long-range air bombardments have continued unabated.

Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces struck the Kamensky missile plant in Russia's Rostov region. Kyiv also launched more than 100 drones at the industrial hub of Kstovo, located east of Moscow, which processes a significant portion of Russia's crude oil supply. Russian state news agency TASS reported that investigators opened a criminal case on terrorism charges regarding a Ukrainian attack on industrial and civilian infrastructure in the Nizhny Novgorod region, where the NORSI oil refinery is located.

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The intensity of the aerial campaigns remains severe. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed its forces shot down 235 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight. Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force stated it intercepted 371 of 433 long-range drones launched by Russian forces since Saturday evening. Overnight strikes by Vladimir Putin's forces left hundreds of thousands of households without power across four Ukrainian regions, prompting Zelensky to state that Russian forces are attempting to maximally exploit a deficit of ballistic missile interceptors.

Simultaneously, a rare domestic security cooperation unfolded in Moscow. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Sunday that it had detained a Russian minor suspected of planning a terrorist attack at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in southern Moscow. The arrest followed an urgent security alert issued on Saturday by the US Embassy warning of a credible threat of a mass casualty event at the historic palace and park complex. The German embassy also issued a warning to avoid the site, leading to temporary closures and the evacuation of visitors during a concert on Saturday.

According to the FSB, the detained teenager posted photographs on TikTok wearing tactical gear, a balaclava, cap, sunglasses, and headphones while holding an object resembling an automatic weapon. The suspect also shared images taken at Tsaritsyno captioned with the English phrase "I found a place." A search of the teenager's home uncovered the clothing and items seen online, while his mobile phone revealed a subscription to a neo-Nazi Telegram channel and numerous searches regarding terrorist attacks and mass killings. We are grateful to the American side for providing the information, the FSB stated, highlighting a rare intelligence exchange between Washington and Moscow that echoes a previous US warning issued before the March 2024 attack at Crocus City Hall.

As the long-range aerial strikes and domestic security scares unfold, the humanitarian pause in Ukraine's southeastern Kherson region is set to expire on Sunday evening. The six-day localized ceasefire around the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky marked the most significant truce between Kyiv and Moscow in over four years, enabling a joint evacuation operation that concluded on Saturday to rescue besieged civilians. The White House credited US First Lady Melania Trump with helping broker the limited pause, with additional diplomatic involvement from Pope Leo. Both warring nations utilized the humanitarian operation to demonstrate seriousness regarding peace efforts ahead of US midterm legislative elections.

In broader strategic developments, Ukrainian arms manufacturer Fire Point revealed that it has developed workarounds to carry out long-range strike missions without relying on Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite services, following recent speed limits imposed on Ukrainian operations. Meanwhile, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stated on Sunday that initial rounds of upcoming settlement negotiations should be held in a trilateral format involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, adding that President Vladimir Putin would answer a call from Zelensky if initiated.

What happens next depends heavily on the expiration of the Oleshky ceasefire on Sunday evening, the resumption of full-scale frontline engagements, and whether the trilateral diplomatic framework proposed by Moscow gains traction with Washington and Kyiv. Further developments are also expected as Russia's Investigative Committee determines formal legal charges against the detained teenager.