Pro-Ukrainian partisans 'blinded' Russian air defenses on night of drone attack on major oil depot, Atesh group claims

Partisans disable Russian air defenses near Novorossiysk ahead of Ukraine’s strike

Atesh partisans sabotaged communications towers and a transformer substation near Novorossiysk, blinding radar systems ahead of a Ukrainian strike on the Grushevaya Balka oil depot (1.2M ton capacity, largest in the Caucasus). The operation demonstrates coordinated ISR degradation before kinetic strikes — a pattern of hybrid warfare targeting energy and logistics infrastructure that is increasingly shaping the conflict's operational tempo.