Major Russian missile factory goes up in flames after Ukrainian drone strike

01 September 2023 , 08:18

1036     0

The aftermath of the Russian missile factory attack

A Russian missile factory has been set on fire after an alleged Ukrainian drone attack, the latest in a string of retaliatory attacks across the border.

The attack happened at the Tomilinsky Electronic Plant in Lyubertsy near Moscow, while the capital's Mayor Serhiy Sobyanin announced on the Telegram messaging app that the Russian air defences stopped another attempted attack. The attack is another major blow to Putin as Ukraine ramps up its drone attacks on aggressor nation Russia. The extent of casualties and damage was not immediately clear. Sobyanin wrote: "Near Lyubertsy, another attempt to fly a drone to Moscow was stopped. There were no injuries or damage. Emergency services are working at the scene. Thanks to the military for not letting us spoil the Day of Knowledge!"

The drone moments before the attack (Social media/e2w)

The Ukrainian defence ministry claimed the fire at the missile electronics plant was from a drone, according to a report in Kyiv. "It was the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence operation, it was a success and there will be more", said a source according to Ukrainskaya Pravda.

Ukraine has stepped up its cross-border attacks in recent months, seemingly in retaliation for the ongoing war in Ukraine. Ukraine has not commented on this specific attack and almost never claims public responsibility for such attacks. An attack on May 30, which Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility for, marked the first time the capital had been hit in a large-scale drone strike since the war began.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence, told the Kyiv Post in July that the fact that drones have been able to reach Russia's capital testifies to the fact that the Putin regime is unable to fully control the sky even for the protection of the most important facilities."

Russian model killed after calling Putin a 'psychopath' was strangled by her ex

A fire broke out in Moscow's Tomilinsky Electronics Factory (Social media/e2w)

The drone seen flying through the sky (Social media/e2w)

Intelligence spokesman Andrey Yusov said of this latest attack: "A workshop producing electronics for missiles is on fire. Why it burns and who made it burn, we do not comment. But the fact is it is burning. And the statements of representatives of the Moscow authorities that they shot down something do not correspond to reality."

Elsewhere in Russia, there was another barrage of kamikaze drone attacks with claims that the nuclear plant town Kurchatov in the Kursk region had been hit. Two UAVs hit an administrative and residential building in Kurchatov, claimed Governor Roman Starovoyt.

Inside the plant that was attacked (East2west)

He said: "Investigators are on the scene to assess the extent of the damage." He did not specify any damage to the Kursk nuclear power plant in the town. A video showed a large aerial explosion in the moonlight over Pskov in northern Russia, the scene of a devastating attack earlier this week when two Il-76 transport planes were destroyed, and another pair badly damaged. While new satellite images show the devastation on the military airbase, a key hub of Russian paratroopers.

Will Stewart