Extremely dangerous! A Russian ammunition depot was attacked by 85-ton F-35 bombs

Night of Fire: Inside Ukraine’s High-Stakes Operation Against Russian Logistics

By International Desk

July 14, 2026

The horizon over southern Ukraine and the occupied Crimean Peninsula erupted in a series of blinding, rhythmic pulses late last weekend, as a coordinated, large-scale Ukrainian strike operation decimated key nodes of the Russian military’s logistics network. The night-long barrage—part of an intensifying, 40-day campaign to isolate the occupied peninsula—transformed semi-underground fortifications and critical fuel depots into towering pillars of flame, signaling a new, more aggressive phase in the ongoing conflict.

For residents in the vicinity of the strike zones, the sky was turned to daylight by a relentless chain of secondary explosions. The intensity of the blasts suggested that the targets were not merely warehouses, but essential arteries of Russia’s southern military infrastructure: ammunition depots, command centers, and fuel storage facilities that have sustained Moscow’s forces for months.

A Coordinated “Multi-Front” Assault

Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) officials confirmed on July 13 that the operation, conducted on the night of July 12 to 13, was a multi-pronged effort involving a blend of long-range drones and naval systems. The scope of the attack was sweeping, stretching from the administrative border of Crimea to deep within Russian territory, including targets in the Krasnodar Krai and Stavropol Krai regions.

“This is a large-scale sea-air operation the Ukrainians clearly have been planning for months,” noted military observers familiar with the theater. “They are identifying the drone units carrying out the strikes by name, stating openly their intent is to starve Crimea of fuel, and acting with a level of confidence that suggests they believe the current Russian defensive posture is failing.”

According to reports from the field and satellite verification from platforms like NASA’s FIRMS, one of the most significant strikes occurred near the village of Stavky in the Kherson region. There, a reinforced, semi-underground logistics hub—a facility long suspected by intelligence agencies to be housing command posts and caches of heavy munitions—was struck by precision-guided munitions. The aftermath, captured by remote sensing data, showed a massive thermal anomaly, confirming the destruction of infrastructure that was supposed to be impervious to conventional air assault.

Targeting the “Shadow Fleet” and Fuel Arteries

The weekend strikes represent the latest escalation in what the administration of President Volodymyr Zelensky has termed a “40-day strike campaign.” The objective is twofold: to degrade the economic engines that fund the Kremlin’s war machine and to physically sever the logistics chains that connect the Russian mainland to the front lines in southern Ukraine.

Beyond the ammunition depots, the Ukrainian operation targeted the backbone of Russia’s maritime logistics. Reports indicate that Ukrainian forces struck:

Project 12150 Mangust-class patrol boats in the Black Sea.

Major cargo and passenger ferries, including the Yeisk, Maria, Lavrentiy, and Panagia, located at critical crossings in Kerch and the port of Kavkaz.

Strategic oil and fuel storage facilities, including depots in Vyazniki, Stavropol Krai, and the Kavkaz freight station, which have been vital for refueling transport vehicles headed toward the Crimean Peninsula.

By targeting these ferries and oil tanks, Ukraine is clearly executing a strategy of systematic isolation. “The goal is to deny Russia the ability to sustain logistics to the peninsula,” stated analysts at the Institute for the Study of War. “If these strikes can be sustained, they threaten to create a critical scarcity of fuel and ordnance that could force a strategic contraction of Russian forces in the region.”

The View From the Ground

In the hours following the strikes, the atmospheric images were stark. Thick, acrid smoke hung over the industrial landscapes of Stavropol and the Crimean coast, while local Russian officials scrambled to contain public panic. While the Russian Ministry of Defense routinely downplayed the impact of the drone barrages—claiming that the majority of incoming munitions were intercepted by air defense systems—the reality on the ground told a different story.

In the Rostov and Stavropol regions, massive fires at oil depots required the mobilization of scores of firefighters, with reports of numerous casualties and injuries among those struggling to quell the infernos. In Moscow, the proximity of the threat to the capital was punctuated by the temporary disruption of flight operations at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, as air defenses engaged a wave of drones heading toward the city.

Strategic Implications: A War of Attrition

The success of these strikes underscores a significant shift in the operational capability of the Ukrainian military. By integrating drone units like the National Guard’s Lasar’s Group and the 34th Venom Unmanned Systems Center with traditional air force assets, Ukraine is demonstrating an ability to conduct “simultaneous strikes” against diverse targets hundreds of miles apart.

This is a far cry from the earlier stages of the conflict, where logistics hubs deep behind enemy lines were considered largely sanctuary territory. Today, that sanctuary has vanished. The use of precision-guided munitions against “semi-underground” structures indicates that Kyiv is receiving—and effectively deploying—the intelligence and technology necessary to strike at the heart of Russian military planning.

What Lies Ahead?

As the 40-day campaign enters its next phase, the pressure on Moscow’s logistics is likely to intensify. The loss of ammunition and fuel at this scale cannot be quickly replaced, particularly with the added burden of sanctions limiting Russia’s ability to replenish its “shadow fleet” and electronic warfare systems.

For the American audience and the broader international community, the events of July 12 and 13 serve as a stark reminder that this war is increasingly defined by the battle of the rear guard. While the front lines remain static in many areas, the real, decisive conflict may be occurring hundreds of miles behind them, in the silent, burning warehouses and fuel depots that make the machinery of war possible.

As more combat footage and official after-action reports emerge, the full extent of the damage to Russian logistics will become clear. But one thing is already certain: the operational math of this war has changed. For the Russian military, the cost of holding Crimea and the southern occupied territories has just become significantly higher.

This article is based on reporting from Kyiv, satellite imagery analysis, and information provided by the Ukrainian Security Service. Further updates will follow as new details emerge.

How do you believe the ongoing disruption of these logistics hubs will influence the next phase of the conflict in southern Ukraine?