A Ukrainian drone attack has forced an oil terminal in Novorossiysk, Russia, to suspend all loading operations

Naval drones hit the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s marine terminal in Novorossiysk on November 29, forcing the facility to halt oil shipments, the company reported.

The strike heavily damaged mooring point two (SMP-2), leading port authorities to stop all loading operations and order tankers to leave the area. The consortium, which includes Russian, Kazakh, and foreign companies, runs a major pipeline carrying Kazakh oil to Novorossiysk.

Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry protested the attack, calling it a strike on a “civilian facility” and warning that it harms relations between Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

Novorossiysk has become a key base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet after repeated Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, increasing its strategic value.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones overnight.

This is the third strike on the terminal: the consortium’s city office was hit in September, and the administrative building was struck on November 25. The new attack further pressures Russia’s oil export infrastructure.

Ukraine has not commented. The Kyiv Independent has asked Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) for a statement.

Russia gained a decisive edge in drone warfare against Ukraine

According to a Wall Street Journal analysis, Russia has seized a critical edge in the drone warfare that has defined much of the Ukraine conflict, mastering the use of small, low-cost UAVs—once Ukraine's signature advantage—to devastating effect on the battlefield. By steadily ramping up deployments for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and direct assaults on forward positions, Moscow has eroded Kyiv's early lead in tactical drone operations, particularly evident in the grueling fight for Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, where Russian forces have encircled the city on three sides.

This shift stems from Russia's emulation of Ukrainian FPV drone tactics, coupled with adaptive strategies like reusable systems and fiber-optic modifications to evade jamming, allowing one operator to control multiple units despite Western sanctions limiting high-end electronics. As fog and poor weather temporarily grounded Ukrainian drones, Russian advances exploited the gap, highlighting Kyiv's infantry shortages and the urgent need for resilient next-generation UAVs to restore balance amid stalled front lines.

Russia attacked Vyshhorod near Kyiv: 1 killed and 19 injured

A Russian strike on the city of Vyshhorod in Kyiv Oblast has killed one person and injured 19 others, including four children.

11 of the injured civilians were taken to the hospital with burns, shrapnel wounds, limb injuries, and smoke inhalation.

A fire in a damaged multi-storey residential building has been extinguished. In total, two apartment buildings, 14 houses, a business, and seven vehicles were damaged.

Earlier reports said several powerful explosions occurred during a Russian UAV attack on the evening of Nov. 29, destroying one house and damaging a multi-storey building. Initial figures reported one killed and 11 injured.

Ukrainian military's resolve to hold Donetsk positions amid peace plan talks

Amid escalating US-brokered peace negotiations that are being conducted now, Ukrainian military leaders and frontline troops have firmly stated they will not withdraw from remaining positions in Donetsk Oblast, even if a ceasefire deal is signed that demands territorial concessions to Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and commanders like 44-year-old soldier Rzhavsky from Donetsk emphasize that any order to retreat without a clear strategic explanation would be ignored, viewing it as unconstitutional capitulation that could invite further Russian aggression. This stance counters a proposed U.S. plan requiring Ukraine to cede unoccupied parts of Donetsk—about 30% of the oblast still under Kyiv's control—creating a demilitarized buffer zone, which Zelenskyy likened to "giving away eastern Florida" and rejected outright.

The determination stems from years of fortified defenses in Donetsk's "fortress belt," including cities like Pokrovsk (now encircled on three sides), Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, where Ukrainian forces have inflicted heavy losses on Russian advances despite manpower shortages. Zelenskyy's team has pushed back in Geneva talks, insisting on U.S. security guarantees and rejecting Russia's maximalist demands from 2022 Istanbul negotiations, which Putin reiterated would only end via military victory if unmet. This red line risks derailing fragile diplomacy with incoming U.S. President Trump, as Kyiv prioritizes sovereignty over rushed territorial swaps that could encourage Moscow.