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Russia Expands Sabotage, Shifts Strike Targets, and Sells Air‑Defense Systems to Iran

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Massive missile‑drone barrage targets Kyiv, water and rail networks Russian forces launched a coordinated strike overnight, firing hundreds of missiles and drones at Kyiv and six other regions. Ukrainian Air Force reported 347 drones and missiles intercepted, downing 274 drones and 33 missiles, while President Zelensky said 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones were launched, showing differing tallies. The attacks focused on energy, water‑supply and railway infrastructure, with additional hits on Odesa, Kirovohrad and Poltava. [1][2]

Coordinated IED attack devastates Lviv shopping centre Two homemade explosives placed in rubbish bins detonated sequentially on Feb 22, killing 23‑year‑old police officer Viktoria Shpylka and wounding at least 25 civilians. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and President Zelensky attributed the blast to Russian intelligence, and prosecutors detained a 33‑year‑old woman from Staryi Sambir, alleging she acted on instructions from a Russian handler. The incident underscores a broader sabotage campaign aimed at sowing panic across western Ukraine. [1][2]

Russia expands sabotage operations and arms deal with Iran Russian intelligence is alleged to have plotted assassinations of Ukrainian political and defence figures, recalling the Aug 2025 killing of former parliamentary chair Andriy Parubiy. The Security Service of Ukraine flagged multiple plots to kill senior officials as part of a destabilisation strategy. Meanwhile, a €500 million contract to sell 500 Verba MANPADS, 2,500 9M336 missiles and night‑vision equipment to Iran was confirmed, with deliveries slated for 2027‑29 and possible early shipments after Iran’s 2025 air‑defence losses. [1]

Ukrainian counter‑strikes damage Russian defence sites and oil depots Satellite imagery showed Ukrainian drones striking the Votkinsk Machine‑Building Plant and the Neftogorsk gas‑processing facility, as well as the Velikiye Luki oil depot and a GRAU arsenal near Kotluban. These hits represent a growing Ukrainian capability to target Russian military‑industrial infrastructure. Observers noted limited Russian territorial gains near Slovyansk, with the seizure of Zakitne and fighting around Kalenyky, but no major breakthroughs. [1]

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Timeline

Aug 2022 – Darya Dugina, a Russian military blogger, is killed when a remote‑controlled bomb detonates in her SUV on Moscow’s outskirts; the FSB names two Ukrainian suspects while Kyiv denies involvement[9].

Dec 2024 – Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, is killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment; the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) claims responsibility and an Uzbek man is arrested[9].

Apr 2024 – Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the General Staff’s main operational department, is killed by an explosive device placed in his car near a Moscow‑area apartment building; a suspect is swiftly detained[6].

May 2023 – Russian nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin survives a car bombing in Nizhny Novgorod; a Ukrainian national is later convicted in Russia and sentenced to life imprisonment for the attack[9].

Apr 2023 – Military blogger “Tatarsky” (Maxim Fomin) is killed in a café bombing in St. Petersburg; Darya Trepova receives a 27‑year prison term after claiming she did not know the gift contained a bomb[9].

Dec 22, 2025 – Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian Armed Forces’ Operational Training Directorate, dies after a car bomb explodes beneath his vehicle in a south‑Moscow parking lot; investigators open a murder and illegal‑explosives‑trafficking case and pursue several motives, including possible Ukrainian intelligence involvement[2][5][6][8][10].

Dec 22, 2025 – President Vladimir Putin is informed of Sarvarov’s death via special‑services channels, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirms the notification; the killing marks the third senior Russian military official killed in Moscow within a year[5][8].

Dec 24, 2025 – Traffic police officers Lt. Ilya Klimanov (24) and Lt. Maxim Gorbunov (25) are killed when a suspicious individual’s explosive device detonates as they approach a police car on Yeletskaya Street; a third person, identified as the suspect, also dies, and a criminal case for attempted murder of police officers is opened[1][4].

Dec 24, 2025 – Ukrainian military intelligence claims the Yeletskaya Street attack, saying the officers had previously served in the war in Ukraine; Russian authorities refrain from assigning blame, though Moscow repeatedly links such killings to Kyiv[7].

Dec 2025 – U.S.–brokered indirect peace talks between Russia and Ukraine continue, with the recent Moscow bombings raising concerns about potential disruption of the negotiations[6].

Feb 22, 2026 – Two homemade bombs explode in rubbish bins in Lviv as police respond to a break‑in call, killing 23‑year‑old officer Viktoria Shpylka and wounding about two dozen others; prosecutors open a terrorism case and detain a 33‑year‑old woman alleged to have acted on instructions from a Russian handler[3].

Feb 22, 2026 – President Volodymyr Zelensky reports that Russia launches a massive missile‑drone barrage of 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones across Ukraine, striking Kyiv and six regions, killing one civilian near Kyiv and injuring eight; a Russian missile also hits a Mondelez snack‑factory, which Ukraine’s foreign minister calls a civilian economic target[3].

Feb 23, 2026 – Russia conducts a massive combined strike on Ukrainian infrastructure, adding water‑supply and railway facilities to its usual energy targets; Ukrainian air defenses down 274 drones and 33 missiles, signaling an escalation in sabotage tactics following the Lviv attack[11].

Feb 23, 2026 – Russia announces a €500 million deal to sell 500 Verba MANPADS, 2,500 9M336 SAMs and 500 night‑vision sights to Iran, with deliveries slated for 2027‑2029 and possible early shipments after Iran’s 2025 air‑defence losses[11].

2027‑2029 (planned) – Iran is scheduled to receive the Verba MANPADS and associated equipment under the 2026 contract, potentially enhancing its air‑defence capabilities ahead of regional tensions[11].

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