Kyiv’s drones increasingly strike targets in Russia – latest attack targets a military facility in Smolensk.
Ukraine appears to be intensifying its attacks on Russian territory. According to Newsweek, an explosion occurred early Friday morning in Smolensk, near the Belarusian border and about 200 miles from Ukraine. It’s suspected that a Ukrainian drone targeted an aviation factory, allegedly used for manufacturing X-59 missiles, which Russia employs in the conflict with Ukraine.
Increasing Drone Attacks on Russia
BBC Verify reports over 190 suspected drone attacks on Russian territory by September 2023, mainly targeting military sites. In Smolensk, the drone caused a hole in the factory’s roof and ignited a fire, which was quickly extinguished. Newsweek cites the Russian-language Telegram channel Baza, which reported minimal damage. Other recent attacks, including one on a power plant, were documented by the pro-Ukrainian news agency Nexta.
Ukrainian Drones Disrupt Russian Security
Vasiliy Anokhin, the regional governor of Smolensk, stated on Telegram that Russian air defense systems had shot down Ukrainian drones in the region. This confirms the growing threat to Russia from Ukrainian attacks. As of now, both the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian government have not commented on these incidents, according to Newsweek. There have been reports of fires at a Russian defense facility in Volgograd and of Russian forces shooting down Ukrainian drones in various regions.
Image: Khamenei.ir, An artist’s impression of Shahed-136 drones swarming an airport, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, (no changes made)