Victory Chronicles-DAY 1372

Ukraine’s military says it hit the VNIIR-Progress plant in Cheboksary overnight on Nov. 26, a key facility that produces satellite-navigation equipment and components for cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as Russian drones. 

Located about 370 miles east of Moscow, the aerial strike signifies a growing trend of Ukraine’s capability to strike deep into Russia that seeks to disrupt Moscow’s ability to sustain precision airborne attacks. 

Ukrainian drones also targeted Russian positions in southeastern Ukraine, hitting a command and control post near Vasylivka, air-defense systems in the occupied port city of Mariupol, ammunition depots, and troop concentrations in the Donetsk regional town of Pokrovsk. 

Experts say that such operations signal a shift in Ukraine’s strategy: to target production and supply nodes that could slow Russia’s military campaigns. Furthermore, to force Russia to divert its resources to rear-defensive areas, and increase the operational costs of the Kremlin’s war effort. 

NATO and Ukraine launch first joint defense innovation program worth 10 million euros

Ukraine and NATO are creating their first joint program to speed up new military technology, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced. The effort, called UNITE – Brave NATO, aims to develop tools Ukraine needs on the battlefield while giving the alliance real-time insight into modern warfare.

It’s the first dedicated NATO-Ukraine framework that is designed to accelerate the development and scaling of defense-technology innovations. 

The pilot bidding process is set to open in early 2026 with a budget of 10 million euros ($10.7 million). On the Ukrainian side, the program will be coordinated by Brave1, a government-backed defense technology accelerator. NATO’s Communications and Information Agency will run the first round of the bidding process. Funding will come through NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine and additional support from Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.

The program will focus on technologies that help Ukraine counter Russia’s attacks, including drone defense, stronger air-defense tools and more battlefield communications and navigation systems with reduced dependency on vulnerable networks.

Eighteen civilians injured after Russian strike on southern city of Zaporizhzhia. A Russian airborne attack late on Nov. 25 struck a residential area in the city of Zaporizhzhia, located near the front line, injuring 18 civilians and damaging several apartment buildings, regional officials said.

Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional administration, said the strike set several floors of an apartment building on fire. Photos from the scene show flames pouring from shattered windows as firefighters worked their way up darkened stairwells.

Authorities later reported that at least seven apartment blocks, a gas station, a store and several cars were damaged. Among the injured are 12 women and 6 men; three people were hospitalized. 

Ukrainian special forces ambush Russian infiltration team in Pokrovsk. A Ukrainian special operations (SSO) unit published a video they say shows them stopping a Russian attempt to infiltrate the city of Pokrovsk, eliminating a four-man team that was trying to hide inside a residential high-rise building near the front line. Pokrovsk, a key city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, is considered the hottest spot of the war and has been under intense Russian pressure for weeks as Moscow tries to push deeper into the urban area.

According to the (SSO), operators set up an ambush along a route that is used by Russian troops moving toward the building. Three members of the Russian group were taken out as they approached the entrance. The fourth tried to flee and opened fire at a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone, giving away his position. He was located and eliminated moments later.

Key Takeaways

1. The Trump administration continues efforts to negotiate a peace deal to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
2. Ukrainian officials continue to express support for the latest 19-point peace plan and demonstrate Ukraine’s willingness to engage in further talks.
3. Russian officials are attempting to exploit the lack of clarity about the outcome of the August 2025 U.S.-Russian Alaska summit to conceal the Kremlin’s continued unwillingness to compromise and its commitment to its maximalist demands.
4. Russia killed at least seven Ukrainian civilians and injured at least 20 in Kyiv City and struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure during combined missile and drone strikes on Nov. 24-25.
5. Russian drones violated Romanian and Moldovan airspaces on Nov. 24-25 during combined missile and drone strikes against Ukraine.
6. The situation in the Pokrovsk direction remains serious and dynamic as Russian forces continue to leverage their new offensive template to seize Pokrovsk and encircle Ukrainian forces in Myrnohrad.
7. Russian forces are employing their new offensive template in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area, setting conditions for a future dedicated effort to seize Kostyantynivka and threaten the Ukrainian Fortress Belt from the south.
8. Russian forces recently advanced near Novopavlivka.

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