Ukraine confirms Neptune missiles struck Russian energy infrastructure, oil refineries

(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([“_mgc.load”])})(window,”_mgq”);

Ukraine’s Navy announced on 31 October that its forces deployed domestically manufactured Neptune cruise missiles in overnight strikes targeting key energy installations deep inside Russian territory on 31 October.

The missiles hit the Oryol Thermal Power Plant and the Novobryansk electrical substation in Russia’s Oryol Oblast, according to the Navy’s statement. Both sites provided electricity to military production facilities across the region.

“The Ukrainian military continues to demonstrate that no enemy rear is safe,” the Navy reported on Telegram, adding that disabling the infrastructure “dealt a serious blow to the occupiers’ logistics.”

The Neptune missile system, originally designed as Ukraine’s ground-launched anti-ship weapon with a 300-kilometer range, gained international attention in April 2022 when Ukrainian forces used it to sink the Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet flagship. The country has since developed multiple upgraded variants of the missile.

Surveillance cameras captured the moment of impact at the Oryol plant, showing a massive explosion. Residents in Oryol city reported hearing blasts during the night, Russian opposition outlet Astra said. The channel’s analysis of footage revealed two separate strikes on the facility, which triggered power outages throughout the city.

Oryol Oblast Governor Andrey Klychkov offered a different account, claiming the plant was damaged by “debris from intercepted drones” that struck “power supply equipment.” He reported no fires or casualties and said emergency crews were responding. Repairs were underway and electricity had been “almost completely restored,” Klychkov stated.

Before the attack, the governor had issued warnings about missile threats in the oblast. Residents told Astra the explosions didn’t sound like drone strikes.

The Oryol TPP operates with an electrical capacity of at least 330 megawatts. RIR Energo owns the facility—one of Russia’s largest territorial power companies and a subsidiary of state energy giant Rosatom.

Multiple explosions also rocked the Russian cities of Vladimir and Yaroslavl overnight, Russian Telegram channels reported. Local residents said air defense systems were active in both locations.

Open-source investigators at Astra identified an electrical substation in Vladimir as the target of those attacks. The “Vladimir” substation, with a capacity around 4,010 MVA, functions as a central node in the region’s power grid.

Vladimir Oblast Governor Alexander Avdeyev confirmed a strike on infrastructure near the city but didn’t specify the substation. “The enemy carried out an attack on infrastructure near the city of Vladimir. All systems are currently operating normally. Specialists are working on site,” he said.

In Yaroslavl, explosions were reported near the Novo-Yaroslavsky oil refinery—Russia’s fifth-largest, processing 15 million tons of crude oil annually. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these reports.

The Ukrainian strikes followed a Russian mass attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure the previous night. On 30 October, Russian forces launched missiles and drones against multiple thermal power plants across Ukraine, according to DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company.

Later that same day, Russia struck the Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant in Donetsk Oblast, killing two people and injuring others.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian energy facilities as “exclusively terror.”