Strike on the Samara energy hub
Ukrainian forces hit a major Russian oil hub and a military airbase in recent long-range strikes, according to the General Staff. On Nov 14, the General Staff reported a fire at the Samara linear production control station near the village of Prosvet in Samara Oblast. This facility sits 950 kilometers east of the territory controlled by Ukraine. Several large oil storage tanks at the station caught fire during the attack. The station is a central hub for the Russian energy export system because it receives oil through pipelines from Tatarstan, western Siberia, and other Russian regions to blend the Urals product, which accounts for half of all Russian oil exports. This facility remains a repeated target during the recent campaign of deep strike attacks directed against Russian oil infrastructure. The strike on the Samara production facility was a blunt hit to Russian energy logistics and distribution.
Damage to the Lipetsk-2 airfield
The General Staff also confirmed a strike on the Lipetsk-2 airfield in Lipetsk Oblast on Nov 13. This base is located over 340 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border. The attack hit an aviation fuel tank, a central command and control post, and a hangar that stores special equipment for aircraft maintenance. Russian Su-34, Su-35, and MiG-31 fighter aircraft are stationed at the base. In December 2025, pro-Ukrainian partisans set fire to two Russian Su-30 fighter jets at an airfield located near Lipetsk, according to reports from Ukraine’s military intelligence. These strikes follow comments from President Volodymyr Zelensky on Nov 13 regarding the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, where he told journalists that a proposed Russian humanitarian mission could provide Russian forces an opportunity to enter and occupy the city. Zelensky noted that the Americans raised the question of whether Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas if it joins NATO, an issue he said was raised for the first time. He also said that if restrictions are imposed, it would be a partial recognition of the territories as not Ukrainian, as he mentioned the Starshield restrictions which have now been partially extended to Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow.
