Russia And Ukraine Exchange Strikes On July 4–5: Logistics, Industry, And EnergySouth Front

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Russia and Ukraine continued their daily mutual strikes on July 4–5. During the overnight attack, Russian forces deployed 125 unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Particular attention was given to the railway network. In Chernihiv Region, a railway train carrying military cargo in the vicinity of Oleshnia was struck by a Geran-4 drone, while in Khalyavin the shunting diesel locomotive ChME3-3504 was hit.”

In Dnipropetrovsk Region, on the morning of July 5, a locomotive at the Synelnykove station was put out of commission. Slightly earlier, on the evening of July 4, two drones struck the Piatykhatky-Stykova station, igniting an electric locomotive. This junction is critical for traction change and wagon flow distribution, and its damage is causing disruptions in freight traffic along the southern route.

The next target segment was the fuel and energy network. In Kharkiv Region, storage tanks at the Stepova gas comprehensive treatment unit caught fire overnight. The ignition of two tanks containing gas condensate and the pumping station effectively paralyzed operations at the extraction facility. In Sumy Region, a strike hit the 110 kV substation in Dyakovka, resulting in a power outage at multiple facilities used by the Ukrainian military. The state company Naftogaz Ukraine confirmed large-scale fires at facilities in Poltava, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions, noting that the attacks have continued for a second consecutive day and that damage assessment is currently impossible due to ongoing safety threats.

The industrial sector also sustained losses. In Dnipro, a missile strike hit the fourth shop of the Interpipe pipe-rolling plant, while Geran drones damaged the Dneprostal steel mill, producing thick smoke visible for kilometers. In Zaporizhzhia, the Armalit plant—specializing in pipeline fittings for gas and energy systems—was hit by three high-explosive aerial bombs. The production shop and the main entrance were damaged.

Within the urban areas of Kharkiv and Sumy, strikes targeted fuel infrastructure elements. In Kharkiv, trucks used for military logistics were destroyed in a parking lot fire, and on the morning of July 5, a Molniya UAV struck a BRSM-Nafta gas station in Sumy, damaging the fuel module. Almost simultaneously, at another AMIK filling station, a drone crashed without detonating but damaged a gas dispensing unit.

Strikes on Russia

Ukrainian forces on July 4–5 concentrated on energy infrastructure in Crimea and attempted a deep penetration strike into central Russian regions. On the night of July 5, the Bakhchysarai and Zimino substations came under attack. Additionally, the commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces stated that between July 1 and 5, 37 electrical substations and transformers had been struck in Crimea.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the repulsion of an overnight aerial attack on July 4, claiming over 500 aerial targets were neutralized, including 10 Flamingo cruise missiles, 9 HIMARS rockets, and 494 UAVs. The analysis notes that the A-50U airborne early warning and control aircraft played a key role in the defense, compensating for radar coverage gaps over riverine and forested areas, thereby enabling more effective tracking of cruise missile flight paths. At the same time, it highlights the limited number of such aircraft in the Russian Aerospace Forces and the challenges associated with their restoration.

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