Ukraine on December 14 carried out a complex operation targeting fuel supply routes from the Russian-annexed Crimea to occupied areas of Zaporizhzhya, an informed source has told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
The operation involved a sabotage mission to detonate railway tracks near Oleksyivka in the Bilmak district, derailing a train carrying fuel tanks.
As the fire spread to the tanks, U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets struck the locomotive and key railcars to prevent salvage efforts. The attack destroyed the locomotive and 40 tankers, crippling a critical rail line supplying Russian forces, the source said.
The operation was carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service in collaboration with military intelligence, special operations forces, and drone units.
Moscow has not commented on the attack.
Meanwhile, Russia launched over 100 suicide drones against Ukraine and struck the Kharkiv region with a missile attack overnight, Ukrainian authorities said on December 15.
Air defenses downed 56 Shahed-type drones while 49 were "locationally lost," according to the Ukrainian military.
Apartment buildings, houses, and an unspecified piece of infrastructure were damaged due to falling debris in several regions. Two people were injured in Mykolayiv, according to local authorities.
Separately, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said a Russian missile struck the Kyivsky district, injuring a 48-year-old woman.
Local media in Russia's Chechen Republic reported that suspected Ukrainian drones had targeted a military camp and a base in the capital, Grozny, on December 15.
