Ukrainian drones have launched an attack on industrial zones in the Tatarstan province, as announced by Russian officials on Tuesday, marking one of Kyiv’s farthest-reaching strikes into Russian territory since the onset of the conflict over two years ago.
The assault injured seven individuals near the cities of Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk, approximately 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) east of Ukraine, according to regional Russian authorities.
Reports indicate the strike hit a hostel housing students and workers in a free economic zone, which is rumored to contain a facility producing drones of Iranian design. Tatarstan is recognized for its substantial industrial capability.
Local officials in Tatarstan assured that the attack did not affect industrial output, and Nizhnekamsk’s mayor reported that an attempt to target a refinery was successfully repelled by air defense systems.
Kyiv’s stance typically involves neither confirming nor denying involvement in attacks on Russian territory, occasionally making indirect references to such operations. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed these reports.
Ukrainian engineers have been progressively increasing the range of their drones for months, aiming to offset Kyiv’s disadvantage in weaponry and manpower on the battlefield. These drones also offer a cost-effective solution as Ukraine awaits additional military support from the US.
To date, neither adversary has managed to significantly impact the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.
Ukraine has previously directed drone strikes near St. Petersburg, nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the border. However, the sites in Tatarstan, a region along the Volga River, represent the most distant targets Ukraine has sought to engage.
Ukrainian drones have recently targeted Russian refineries and oil depots, escalating attacks on Russian territory, including distant drone operations.
Last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the development of a weapon capable of hitting a target 700 kilometers (400 miles) away, hinting at a drone attack on Russian land.
Towards the end of last year, Ukraine’s digital transformation minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, mentioned the nation’s commitment to forming a cutting-edge “drone army,” predicting its significant impact on the war by year’s end. Over 10,000 new drone pilots were trained in Ukraine last year, he noted.
Ukraine has also innovated lethal maritime drones, which have attacked Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea.
In related developments, Ukraine’s air force reported on Tuesday that it had intercepted nine of the ten Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight in a recent assault on the nation’s power infrastructure.
