Bryony Gooch of the Independent reports that Ukraine’s navy announced it has destroyed an “elite” Russian special forces unit stationed on the Syvash oil drilling rig near occupied Crimea, claiming the strike killed an anti-tank missile crew and destroyed reconnaissance equipment. The rig, part of the so-called Boiko Towers seized by Russia in 2015, has been used for military purposes since the invasion began. Russia denied Ukraine’s account, releasing a video it said showed a Ukrainian boat destroyed by a drone, though Kyiv countered that the footage actually depicted its successful kamikaze drone attack. The strike comes as fierce fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, particularly around Pokrovsk and Dobropillia, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops to assess weapons needs and drone production. They write:

Ukraine’s navy says it has struck an “elite” Russian special unit located on a Black Sea oil rig.

An anti-tank missile crew was killed in the strike and reconnaissance equipment was destroyed at the Syvash drilling rig, near Russian-occupied Crimea, the naval forces said in a Telegram post.

Russia has disputed the account by distributing a video that alleges a Ukrainian naval boat was destroyed by a Lancet drone, but Kyiv’s forces said the video actually showed them deploying a kamikaze drone successfully. […]

Ukraine’s forces shared a video of the incident on an official Telegram channel, flagging the moment they say they killed the team in the video. […]

The Russian Defence Ministry said its soldiers had cleared 35 buildings of Ukrainian troops. It also said that Russian forces were squeezing surrounded Ukrainians near the town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, about 100 miles (160 km) to the north.

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Kyiv’s deepest strikes inside Russia

Ukrainian drones struck the Sterlitamak petrochemical complex in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, nearly 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, early on November 4, damaging a water treatment facility but causing no casualties, local officials said. The attack marks one of Kyiv’s deepest strikes inside Russia as it intensifies long-range assaults on key energy and industrial infrastructure. The incident comes amid Ukraine’s calls for the United States to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to bolster its counterstrikes, while U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed reluctance to approve such deliveries, citing fears of escalation with Moscow. The Sterlitamak site, previously targeted by drones, produces equipment for the oil and gas industry and is also involved in explosives manufacturing, according to Radio Free Europe. The RFE writes:

Ukrainian drones struck a petrochemical plant almost 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) inside Russia early on November 4 as Kyiv continues to step up long-range air strikes aimed at key Russian infrastructure.

The head of the Bashkortostan region, Radiy Khabirov, said on Telegram that two Ukrainian drones hit the Sterlitamak industrial complex after being shot down. Authorities said the drones partially knocked out a water treatment installation at the complex. […]

The Sterlitamak complex was targeted last month when drones attacked part of the area where a plant specializing in the development and production of equipment, parts, and tools for the oil and gas industry was located.

The plant also is involved in the production of explosives.

Read more here.