Victory Chronicles-DAY 994

During a military operation, Special Operations Forces and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Forces units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine targeted a fuel and lubricants depot near the city of Staryi Oskol in the Belgorod region of Russia. 

The attack resulted in a fire at the site. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently analyzing the outcomes of the operation. The destruction of this facility is expected to cause significant logistical challenges for the Russian occupiers, weakening their offensive capabilities.

The United States has granted Ukraine $1.35 billion to fund priority social and humanitarian expenditures to ensure teachers’ salaries are paid. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided the funding in coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Department of State. The funds were transferred to Ukraine’s State Budget through the World Bank’s PEACE in Ukraine project. This grant is part of the ongoing financial support from the United States, with direct budget support reaching $28.2 billion since February 2022. This funding is the most significant assistance given to Ukraine by any country. 

Russian troops launched a combined missile and drone attack on the city of Kyiv and the Kyiv region, causing damage and injuries. The attack, which took place on the night of November 12-13, involved air-launched cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, as well as several drones. One person was wounded by debris from a drone, and a warehouse caught fire in one of the settlements. The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces successfully destroyed several missiles and drones. The attack prompted an air alert in the capital, and cruise missiles headed towards Kyiv region while a ballistic missile attack targeted the capital. According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, this was the first such attack in 73 days.

The chief of staff of the Russian Black Sea Fleet missile ships, Valery Trankovsky, was killed in Sevastopol, according to a source from the Security Service of Ukraine. The source stated that the car bombing of Trankovsky was a successful special operation carried out by the Ukrainian security forces. The explosion resulted in the loss of Trankovsky’s legs and, ultimately, his death due to blood loss. It was reported that Trankovsky had been under surveillance for about a week before the improvised explosive device was remotely detonated. The source referred to Trankovsky as a war criminal who had ordered the launch of cruise missiles from the Black Sea at civilian targets in Ukraine, resulting in casualties. 

Geolocated footage confirms reports that an explosion damaged the Ternivska Dam at the Kurakhivske Reservoir on November 11. Geolocated footage published on November 12 shows an explosion at the Ternivska Dam south of Stary Terny (northwest of Kurakhove).

Ukrainian Kurakhove City Military Administration Head Roman Padun and Ukrainian Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Head Vadym Filashkin reported on November 11 and 12, respectively, that the explosion and subsequent flooding did not impact any nearby homes, with Filashkin further noting that settlements along the Vovcha River west of the reservoir have not flooded.

Padun stated that water continues to flow from the dam but that the entire reservoir will not empty, and Filashkin reported that 15 million cubic meters of water had spilled from the reservoir. Padun reported that Russian forces have been targeting the dam with guided glide bombs for three months (since about August 2024), and ISW observed claims in September 2024 from Russian sources that Russian forces had struck the dam.

Ukrainian and Russian sources reported the damage to the dam on November 11 but disagreed about who was responsible for the strike. ISW continues to assess that Russian forces could have struck the dam on November 11 in order to cause significant, long-lasting flooding west of the Kurakhivske Reservoir that could facilitate Russian efforts to envelop Ukrainian forces north and south of Kurakhove. 

The potential advantages that Russian forces could gain by damaging the dam are currently unclear, however, as the extent and duration of the resulting flooding is reportedly minimal. ISW is unable to attribute who or what damaged the dam.

Lieutenant Colonel Vasyl “Neznayka” Kopan died on September 8, 2024, near the village of Leonidivka, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region. The fighter and his comrade-in-arms went to the position and came under enemy artillery fire. The defender was 28 years old.

Vasyl was born in Mariupol, Donetsk region. After graduating from high school, he entered the Mariupol Electromechanical Vocational College. His hobbies were sports and American football. He played in the Mariupol team Azov Dolphins.

Immediately after graduating in 2014, Vasyl joined the Azov Regiment. At the time, Vasyl was 18 years old. He participated in the Shyrokyne operation, the battles in Mariinka, and the defense of the Svitlodarsk bulge. He started out as an infantryman, but he constantly developed and improvedhis skills, always saying that he wanted to be a strong combat unit in his unit. In a couple of years, he moved to reconnaissance. This was his goal.

“To get to the intelligence, I had to pass a difficult selection. I remember that on the last day of the selection, he came home very tired, but so happy. He achieved his goal and got into the desired unit,” recalls Anastasiia Kopan, his wife.

She met her future husband at the end of 2014 when she was volunteering at a hospital in Mariupol. Vasyl was undergoing treatment there. The couple started communicating and dating. In 2019, Vasyl and Anastasia officially married. A year later, the couple had a boy.

“Vasya was sincere, always spoke directly and never lied. He was a purposeful person. A true perfectionist, if he took on a task, he would see it through and try to do everything perfectly. He was a very caring father, kind, loyal, and loved to pamper his son,” says the defender’s wife.

A few days before the full-scale invasion, Vasyl moved his family out of Mariupol, and he returned to defend his hometown. After the death of the previous commander, he took command of the Azov Special Forces group. He fought heavy battles for Mariupol and broke through to the territory of Azovstal. Under his command, he conducted deep reconnaissance raids, sabotage in the enemy’s deep rear, and complex special operations. On May 20, 2022, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, he and his fellow fighters were taken prisoner.

On September 21, 2022, a prisoner exchange took place and Vasyl returned to Ukraine. While undergoing rehabilitation, he took an active part in the development of the unit. He officially returned to service in January 2024. He became the commander of the reconnaissance company of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade. He took part in counter-offensive operations in the Orikhiv direction, in defensive and offensive operations in the Serebrianka forestry.

During his years of dedicated service, Vasyl Kopan was awarded many decorations, including the Order “For Courage” of the III degree, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of the III degree and the Silver Cross badge. Vasyl was burie on September 13, 2024, at the Kyiv crematorium. The fighter is survived by his wife, son, parents and sister.

*Vasyl’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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