Ukrainian Drone Strike Targets Russian Gunpowder Factory: Defense Official

A Ukrainian drone assault targeted a gunpowder factory in western Russia, a Kyiv security source said Thursday, in the latest strike aiming to dent Russia's military logistics.

Kyiv has stepped up aerial attacks on military and energy facilities inside Russia in recent months with the hopes of crippling Moscow's ability to attack Ukrainian cities or gain more ground in the industrial east.

A source from Ukraine's defense sector told AFP the attack was carried out using explosive drones -- one of which successfully hit the military facility in the city of Kotovsk in Russia's Tambov region.

The area is roughly 350 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The extent of damage and information about enemy losses were still being assessed, according to the source.

A local Russian media outlet published an alleged video of the incident. AFP was not able to confirm the authenticity of the footage.

Earlier, the local governor Maxim Egorov from Tambov said on Telegram that two drones had been reported in the region and both had been "destroyed", without causing damage or casualties.

The Ukrainian defence source said the site produced ammunition and gunpowder for small arms and had been targeted by drones in January and November.

Ukraine over recent months has also claimed a series of strikes on Russian refineries and oil storage facilities not only in border regions but also in territories hundreds of kilometres from the border.

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Berezhinskaya, a theatre director, had railed against Russia’s actions in Ukraine, saying Moscow’s soldiers were killing civilians and destroying cities in a naked land grab.

The attack comes as Russia has been launching a systematic strike campaign targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, causing lasting damage to critical facilities and spurring the introduction of scheduled outages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to Kyiv's allies to supply more air defence systems to thwart Russian missile and drone barrages.

Zelensky has said systematic Russian attacks on energy facilities have halved Ukrainian electricity production compared to one year ago.