Overnight Ukrainian drone strikes targeted major energy and petrochemical facilities in central Russia’s Samara region and the republic of Tatarstan, monitoring groups reported Friday.
Mayor Radmir Belyayev of Tatarstan’s industrial city of Nizhnekamsk said four people were hospitalized after a Ukrainian drone struck a multistory residential building. The exiled outlet Astra shared eyewitness video of the detonation and the subsequent fire.
Ukrainian monitoring channels reported that two of the targets included Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Russia’s largest producer of synthetic rubber and plastics, and the Taneco oil refinery.
Tatarstan Head Rustam Minnikhanov, without identifying the plants by name, said that “the attacked enterprises were swiftly addressing the aftermath.” Mayor Belyayev said all public events were canceled on Friday, which marks the Russia Day holiday, due to the drone threat.
In the neighboring Samara region, the mayor of another industrial city, Tolyatti, said Ukrainian drone attacks damaged an “industrial facility.” Ukrainian monitoring groups identified the target as synthetic rubber and chemical component producer Tolyattikauchuk.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense systems had intercepted 231 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, including Samara and Tatarstan, as well as annexed Crimea.
Elsewhere, two civilians were killed and two wounded in western Russia’s border region of Bryansk after Ukraine struck the settlement of Suzemka with artillery, according to acting Governor Yegor Kovalchuk.
In Ukraine, a 44-year-old woman working as a rail station operator died on her way to a shelter during a drone attack in the border region of Sumy, the head of Ukrainian Railways said.
Another woman, a station attendant, was wounded in the attack, Oleksandr Pertsovkyi said.
Three people were wounded in separate strikes on Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region.
AFP contributed reporting.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
