The key Russian oil terminal "Sheskharis" in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk has completely halted operations after an attack by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
According to information from the international agency (Reuters), the suspension of operations was imposed after the tank fleet was filled to capacity. Early in the morning, a tanker planning to load crude oil was forced to suddenly change course and go out to sea due to the imminent threat of new strikes.
About 700,000 to 1 million barrels of oil pass through "Sheskharis" daily, including Russian Urals and Kazakh varieties. The collapse in Novorossiysk increases economic pressure on Moscow, as Earlier in the week (August 12), massive drone attacks disabled all three major grain terminals in the same port, disrupting grain exports.
Fire in Penza Oblast and Attack on Moscow
In addition to the Black Sea coast, Ukrainian drones have struck deep in the interior of the Russian Federation. A local fire broke out at a local agricultural enterprise in the industrial zone of the Zemetchinsky district of the Penza Oblast. The governor of the region, Oleg Melnikov, confirmed the incident on his official channel, specifying that the fire was quickly extinguished by emergency services and that no citizens were killed or injured (Life.ru).
The night was also intense for the capital's air defenses. The Russian military reported that they had successfully repelled an attack by seven drones flying towards Moscow, which were intercepted on the distant approaches to the metropolis.
Escalation on the front: 27 clashes in the Konstantinovka direction
On the battlefield, the situation remains critical and highly dynamic. According to the latest report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), a total of nearly 200 combat clashes were registered on the front over the past 24 hours.
The heaviest and fiercest fighting took place on the Konstantinovka direction, where Ukrainian positions were attacked in waves a total of 27 times in the areas of the settlements of Konstantinovka, Dolga Balka and Ilinovka (Ukrainska Pravda). Russian forces continue their attempts to break through the defensive line in this sector in order to expand their tactical advantage, but the AFU holds its positions through the massive use of suicide drones and artillery.