Overview
- A nighttime drone attack struck the Saratov oil refinery, injuring one person and forcing a temporary airport halt, with independent OSINT indicating it is at least the seventh reported strike on the site this year.
- Romania reported suspected drone fragments about five kilometers from the Ukrainian border after strikes near Izmail; authorities sealed the area and the president described the incident as an accident.
- Germany’s loitering-munition push hit trouble after Berlin startup Stark’s systems failed October trials with UK and Bundeswehr units, leaving the Lithuania brigade timeline at risk as the procurement office pursues limited certification buys from three vendors.
- Facing constrained U.S. missile supplies, Ukraine is fielding medium‑range “middle‑strike” drones such as Ukrspecsystems’ Shark‑M, with stated 180 km communications range, up to 420 km flight range and an estimated $50,000 unit cost.
- European industry is testing cheaper intercept options, including Estonia’s Frankenburg Mark 1 mini‑interceptor targeting sub‑€50,000 and higher accuracy, while Russia tests 24‑hour blocks on inbound or inactive SIM cards and its FSB issues an unverified claim of foiling a MiG‑31 false‑flag plot.