Ukraine’s military announced on April 23 that it successfully struck a Russian facility producing combat drones. This strike occurred more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away from Ukraine’s border.
Independent news channel Astra first reported the strike, claiming that a Ukrainian long-range drone targeted the Alabuga facility. They shared footage of a drone being shot down during the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry later confirmed that its air defenses downed a Ukrainian drone in Tatarstan at approximately 12:20 p.m. local time. However, they did not mention the Alabuga facility in their statement.
The strike was carried out by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, working in coordination with other branches of the military. The target was a plant located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.
According to the General Staff of Ukraine, the facility manufactures up to 300 Shahed drones, based on Iranian designs, as well as their Russian-made variants, Gerans, each day. These drones are frequently used by Russia in attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
This attack marks one of Ukraine’s deepest strikes into Russian territory since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine hit targets over 1,000 kilometers away last year for the first time, including a strike in Murmansk Oblast, located 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) from the border.
The General Staff confirmed that there were explosions and confirmed hits at the target area, though the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Ukraine’s General Staff described the strike as a justified response to a key military facility supporting Russia’s ongoing aggression and attacks against Ukraine and its civilians.
In 2023, more than 6,000 Shahed-type drones were produced at the Alabuga facility, alongside thousands of decoy drones designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Andrii Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official with the National Security and Defense Council, confirmed these details.
Russian forces have regularly launched hundreds of drones at Ukraine, especially targeting civilian areas and critical infrastructure. These attacks have intensified recently, as Moscow continues to reject a U.S.-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Kyiv insists that any ceasefire must include a halt to attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a temporary freeze on long-range drone and missile strikes, but Kremlin officials have dismissed the idea.
