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What did Ukraine's drone strikes on Russia achieve?
Summary
A look back at reports from 16 to 21 January 2024 on strikes on Russian energy sites and an attack on Kharkiv.
What was Ukraine targeting inside Russia as of 22 January 2024? Reports from the preceding days pointed to energy infrastructure in the north-west of the country.
On 21 January 2024, a drone attack hit the Ust-Luga Multimodal Complex in Leningrad Oblast and caused a large fire. Russian gas producer Novatek subsequently suspended all operations at the complex. Ukraine claimed responsibility for the strike.
Three days earlier, on 18 January 2024, Ukraine said it had struck an oil terminal in Saint Petersburg with a domestically produced long-range drone. Kyiv described the attack as part of a new campaign against strategic targets inside Russian territory. Russia, however, reported that the attack had failed.
Strikes on Kharkiv continued
The war also continued to hit Ukrainian cities. On 16 January 2024, a Russian missile strike on a residential area of Kharkiv injured seventeen people.
Taken together, the reports show two parallel tracks in the days before 22 January 2024: Ukraine reaching energy facilities deep in Russia with long-range drones, and Russian missiles continuing to strike residential areas in Ukraine.
