Ukraine Launches Heavy Missile Strike on Two Russian Targets in Donetsk

Ukraine’s Defense Forces launched a missile strike on two Russian-occupied military targets in Donetsk.

The monitoring community Exilenova+ published footage of the strikes, while Militarnyi’s GEOINT analysis helped establish the approximate locations of the impacts.

Cruise missiles likely struck the parking area of an unfinished residential building and the building of the former UkrDerzhNDIplastmas research institute.

The Russian military has repeatedly used similar facilities for its own purposes because of their large size and the presence of protected underground areas.

According to Exilenova+, a command post of Russia’s 51st Guards Combined Arms Army may have been located at one of the affected sites. The OSINT community CyberBoroshno also reports that six missiles struck the parking area.

The Russian military formed the army in summer 2024 as part of a large-scale reorganization and integration of forces from the occupied territories.

The former 1st Army Corps of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) served as the basis for the formation of the 51st Combined Arms Army. It included the 1st, 5th, 9th, 110th, 114th and 132nd Guards Motor Rifle Brigades, as well as the 14th Kalmius Artillery Brigade.