Ukraine says its long-range drones struck a Russian factory making ignition systems for weapons and set it on fire
Ukraine attacked a defense manufacturing site deep inside Russia on Tuesday night with long-range drones, starting a fire and causing damage at the facility, a security source told Business Insider.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine said that the agency launched drones at the Murom Instrument-Making Plant, around 180 miles east of Moscow in the Vladimir region. The facility produces ammunition ignition devices and parts for Russia's navy and military aviation.
The SBU source said the attack caused five explosions at the plant and triggered a fire, which was said to have damaged two buildings at the facility. Local video footage and imagery appeared to show the fire.
Alexander Avdeev, the governor of the Vladimir region, said that a "major fire" set a warehouse ablaze at a plant in Murom. He said there were no casualties, and dozens of first responders were able to extinguish the fire.
Later, in a Telegram post, Avdeev said that several drones had been taken down by Russian electronic warfare. One of the drones that fell caused the fire at the warehouse, he said, reporting that two buildings were left damaged by the attack.
Meanwhile, Russia's defense ministry said that it intercepted three Ukrainian drones over the Vladimir region on Tuesday night. Kyiv has not publicly commented on the attack. BI could not independently confirm the details of the incident.
The Murom plant, which is on Ukrainian and European sanctions lists, plays "a significant role" in supporting Russia's war machine, the security source explained, per a translation of their remarks shared with BI. They said "the SBU continues to work effectively for legitimate military purposes on the territory of the Russian Federation."
The attack marks Ukraine's latest deep strike into Russia. Kyiv has used domestically produced long-range drones and missiles to hit military and energy sites, including ammunition storage facilities, weapons production factories, airfields, and oil terminals.
The latest incident marks another setback for Russia's military in the Vladimir region. Last week, a large ammunition depot in the area caught fire and exploded.
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