Precision Missile Strikes Target Drone Facilities
On November 13, 2026, the Ukrainian General Staff reported missile units executed long-range strikes using modified domestic Neptune cruise missiles against a Russian military-industrial drone production and maintenance hub in Rostov-on-Don, over 200 kilometers behind the active frontline. Military intelligence assessments confirmed the strikes targeted AeroHit LLC, which services and overhauls military hardware while manufacturing Veles first-person-view attack drones, and Ionos LLC, an industrial enterprise engaged in mass manufacturing and stockpiling tactical loitering munitions; high-explosive secondary detonations triggered large structural fires across both production sites; factory floors suffered extensive destruction.
The Ukrainian General Staff delivered an official operational communique: “Overnight on November 12 to 13, Ukrainian missile formations executed a high-precision strike using modernized Neptune cruise missiles against enemy drone manufacturing facilities in Rostov-on-Don. The operation successfully disrupted the logistical assembly and repair lines supporting frontline attack operations against our defensive positions.”
Russian military formations responded by launching a barrage of 117 strike drones targeting Ukrainian power distribution grids and urban transport hubs overnight; air raid sirens echoed across central and southern oblasts for several consecutive hours; mobile air defense units engaged targets continuously; critical electrical substations reported localized power interruptions. The Ukrainian Air Force Command confirmed air defense interception crews intercepted the vast majority of incoming loitering munitions across eleven regions; falling fragmentation caused localized infrastructure damage across Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia municipalities.
The Institute for the Study of War reported Ukrainian frontline units observed temporary performance degradations within commercial Starshield satellite communications transponders across contested combat sectors; intermittent signal loss complicated unmanned aerial intercept coordination along eastern axes; Ukrainian infantry formations secured tactical advancements east of Slovyansk and repelled localized armored assaults south of Novopavlivka; ground commanders rotated battle-worn infantry regiments to stabilize defensive perimeters.
