Drones Hit Deep Inside Russia: Explosions at Shahed Factory in Tatarstan, Missile-Linked Chemical Plant

Explosions were heard overnight across several regions of Russia. Residents reported strikes on facilities in Tatarstan and Ivanovo region – specifically, a drone manufacturing plant and a chemical factory.

Moscow’s tensions were also reportedly high in the Tula region, home to a key defense enterprise where Kyiv’s drones were allegedly flying.

According to Russian media, people in several cities witnessed loud blasts and observed active air defense systems. Prior to the strikes, the airport in Nizhnekamsk was temporarily closed.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said that the city of Yelabuga in Tatarstan hosts a production site for Iranian-designed Shahed drones. This site has reportedly been targeted before – both in 2024 and again in 2025. Yelabuga is located over 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

Residents also reported drone attacks in Kineshma, Ivanovo region. The pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash claimed that drones had hit a major chemical plant, with several loud explosions heard in the city. Kineshma lies more than 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation stated that the targeted plant produces components for Russian military equipment and weapons, including missiles.

The Ivanovo regional emergency headquarters confirmed that drone debris fell in an industrial zone, damaging a storage building for packaging materials.

Other Topics of Interest

Russia Disguises Fuel Trucks as Milk Tankers to Reach Crimea

Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk revealed that Ukraine’s systematic interdiction campaign has fractured Russian logistics leading into occupied Crimea. With the Kerch Strait Bridge closed to fuel tankers and alternative maritime ferries heavily damaged, the Russian military has resorted to disguising fuel trucks as civilian vehicles – such as milk and food transportation trucks – to traverse the land corridor through occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Meanwhile, Russia’s federal aviation agency (Rosaviatsia) announced temporary flight restrictions at several airports, including Kaluga, Nizhnekamsk, and Moscow’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports.

On Monday morning, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defense forces had allegedly shot down 96 Ukrainian drones over 12 regions. According to their statement, the largest numbers were intercepted over Bryansk (31), Belgorod (16), and Kursk (11) regions. Additional drone activity was reported in Tula, Oryol, Moscow, Kaluga, Ivanovo, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Yaroslavl regions, as well as in the Republic of Tatarstan.

Ukraine has not commented on any potential involvement in these strikes at the time of publication.

Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized that its operations on Russian territory target only military objectives. Ukrainian officials highlight that its drones are aimed at facilities that directly support Russia’s war effort – such as drone and missile factories, military depots, command centers, and infrastructure used by the Russian Wrmed forces.

Kyiv maintains that such actions are conducted under its right to self-defense, as enshrined in the UN Charter. While Russia routinely attacks Ukrainian cities, critical infrastructure, and civilians, Ukraine’s strategy focuses on degrading enemy military capacity while minimizing harm to civilian populations.

Earlier today Kyiv Post reported that Russia launched another massive attack on Ukraine – for the third night in a row – using kamikaze drones and cruise missiles, targeting multiple regions in the south, east, and north of the country, during the predawn hours on Monday.