Drones reportedly struck a factory in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, where Russia manufactures Iranian-designed Shahed drones used in attacks against Ukraine.
Ukraine targets Russian oil refineries, military production sites, and airbases to disrupt Russia’s war machine and inflict economic damage, with its militarized economy fueling the aggression.
The 23 April attack targeted the production facility located deep within Russian territory, around 1200 km (745 miles) away from the Ukrainian border.
Rustem Nuriyev, head of the Yelabuga municipal district, confirmed the drone attack but claimed that one unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down, with no civilian casualties reported.
Andriy Kovalenko, who leads Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, referenced the incident more obliquely, noting that at the production site it was “somewhat loud, and somewhat successful in places.”
He provided context about the facility’s significance, stating that over 6,000 Shahed/Geran drones and thousands of decoy drones were manufactured at the Alabuga facility in 2024 alone.
According to Kovalenko, Russian production targets for the facility are ambitious, with plans to manufacture between 8,000-10,000 attack drones and approximately 15,000 decoy drones this year.
A military Telegram channel offered additional details, claiming that six drones targeted the factory, five of which successfully hit their objectives. This information, however, could not be independently verified.
[update] The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces confirmed conducting a strike against a drone manufacturing facility deep inside Russian territory.According to military officials, the facility produces approximately 300 unmanned aerial vehicles daily, including Geran-2 and Shahed models that Russia deployed extensively against Ukrainian targets.
The General Staff characterized the attack as a “just response against a Russian strategic military facility” that supports Moscow’s military operations and “terror against civilians in Ukraine.”
