In brief

• Ukraine's General Staff says Neptune missiles hit three drone-linked sites in Rostov-on-Don on the night of November 13.
• The targets were a drone production facility, a storage site for finished drones, and a service center of Aero-Hit.
• Kyiv says the strikes will delay drone output and reduce attacks on Ukrainian troops and civilians.

Strikes on three drone-linked sites in Rostov-on-Don

Ukraine's General Staff said Neptune missiles from the navy's coastal missile system hit three objects in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don during the night of November 13 («Нептуны прилетели»: Генштаб заявил о поражении производства и сервис-центра российских беспилотников – NV) ("Нептуни" влаштували пекло в Ростові: ЗСУ одним ударом накрили заводи та склади дронів РФ – TSN) (ЗСУ уразили ракетами "Нептун" три обʼєкти в Ростові, повʼязані з БПЛА – Espreso). The General Staff described the attack as a strike on the full chain of Russian drone supply, from manufacturing to storage and maintenance.

Production, storage and service targets

The first target was the production facility of LLC Ionos, which makes tactical-level strike drones ("Нептуни" прилетіли: ЗСУ уразили виробництво, склад і сервісний центр БпЛА у Росії – Українська правда). The second was the storage site where the same company keeps its finished drones. The third was a service center run by LLC Aero-Hit, where drones for the front are repaired and serviced.

Aero-Hit makes the Veles line of strike and reconnaissance FPV drones. Its main plant is in Khabarovsk, while the Rostov site handles service work.

Military assessment

According to the General Staff, some drones will not now be built, some were destroyed in the storage site, and damaged units will take a long time to return to the front. Kyiv presented the strike as a way to reduce the number of Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian troops and civilians.

The General Staff also said Ukraine is acting in self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and is working to weaken Russia's military-economic capacity. No independent confirmation of the damage was given in the reports reviewed.

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