Ukraine announced on Sunday that it had conducted a drone attack, targeting a significant Russian explosives factory located approximately 750 kilometers (470 miles) from the border. This effort is part of Kyiv’s strategy to launch drone attacks deep into Russian territory, aiming at energy and military sites deemed essential for Moscow’s military operations.
According to a source within the SBU security services, drones struck the Sverdlov explosives factory in Dzerzhinsk, near the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod. While Russian officials confirmed drones targeted the area, they reported that the attack was thwarted. Nizhny Novgorod regional governor Gleb Nikitin stated via Telegram that air defenses and electronic warfare successfully repelled the drone attack aimed at the Dzerzhinsk industrial zone. He also mentioned that four fire station employees located on the premises of the industrial facility sustained minor shrapnel injuries.
The United States and European Union have previously sanctioned the Sverdlov plant, recognized as one of Russia’s largest military explosives manufacturers. Social media footage from Russia depicted a large explosion in the area and the downing of small drones by air defense systems, though AFP could not verify this footage immediately. Kyiv has not disclosed the extent of any damage inflicted on the plant’s production capabilities.
Earlier, Moscow’s defense ministry reported intercepting 110 Ukrainian drones in what it described as the largest aerial offensive by Ukraine in two weeks. Concurrently, Russia launched a series of attacks on Ukraine, reportedly targeting residential areas. In an attack on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, at least 17 people were injured, including a first responder, according to the state emergency services. Additionally, an energy facility in the northeastern Sumy region was attacked, leading to over 37,000 consumers losing electricity, as reported by regional power operator Sumyoblenergo on Telegram.
Ukraine faces impending challenges as it prepares for what is anticipated to be the hardest winter of the conflict due to the destruction of substantial parts of its generating capacity and continued strikes on energy sites, while temperatures across the country are approaching freezing.
Separately, Russian aviation authorities temporarily closed Kazan airport, situated around 1,000 kilometers from the Ukraine border, on Sunday morning because of air safety concerns. The Rosaviatsia agency did not specify the reason for suspending flights, although such restrictions are commonly enacted during reports of Ukrainian drone activity in the vicinity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with leaders from China, Brazil, and Turkey in Kazan later in the week for the BRICS summit, marking the largest assembly of Moscow’s allies and partners inside the country since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
