Defence plants under large-scale UAV attack in Russia – photo, video
Explosions rang out in various oblasts of Russia on the night of 25-26 May. Local residents reported attacks on a drone factory in Tatarstan and a chemical plant in Ivanovo Oblast. Explosions were also heard in Tula Oblast, where a defence plant is located; as usual, the authorities reported that the attack had had no adverse effects, while the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that air defence had shot down almost a hundred UAVs.
Source: Russian Telegram channels Astra, Baza and Shot; Russian regional authorities and the Russian Ministry of Defence on Telegram
Details: Residents of Tula reported hearing explosions. Tula is home to NPO Splav, one of Russia's leading developers and manufacturers of multiple-launch rocket systems, which has already been attacked twice in May.
У російській Тулі лунали вибухи. За словами місцевих жителів, їх було щонайменше 10. У цьому місті розташований один із провідних в РФ виробників реактивних систем залпового вогню НВО "Сплав", який у травні уже атакували дрони. Відео з Telegram-каналу База pic.twitter.com/eoRYdGYTRx
— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) May 26, 2025
There were also reports of explosions in Kineshma in Russia’s Ivanovo Oblast. Local residents reported that drones had attacked the Dmitrievsky Chemical Plant.
The Ivanovo Oblast Operational Headquarters reported "the fall of UAV debris in the industrial zone" and "damage to an outbuilding for storing packaging".
Kineshma is located more than a thousand kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
It was also reported that drones were being shot down over Yelabuga (Tatarstan), a city that is home to a plant for assembling Shahed UAVs. It has been attacked before. Yelabuga is located 1,500 kilometres from the border with Ukraine.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsiya reported that temporary restrictions on aircraft flights had been imposed at Kaluga and Nizhnekamsk airports and at Moscow's Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports.
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that it had allegedly downed "96 Ukrainian UAVs" over 12 oblasts of Russia.
In particular, 31 drones were allegedly shot down over Bryansk Oblast, 16 over Belgorod Oblast, 11 over Kursk Oblast, nine over Tula Oblast, eight over Oryol Oblast, six over Moscow Oblast, five over Kaluga Oblast, four over Ivanovo Oblast, two over Ryazan and Vladimir oblasts, and one over Yaroslavl Oblast and the Republic of Tatarstan.
As per usual, the Russian Ministry of Defence has not disclosed anything about the total number of drones involved in the attack, and nothing about the consequences of the strikes or the downing of UAVs.
Background: On 25 May, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported an attack by several drones flying towards the city, and three airports in the Russian capital and the Moscow region temporarily shut down.
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