The war in Ukraine continues unabated, with the Russians advancing west of Avdiivka, recording local victories one after another.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are now trying to stop the advance of the Russian Armed Forces in front of the new Umanskoye-Yasnobrodivka-Netailovo battle line, while many Ukrainian citizens of Kharkiv are fleeing the city after the relentless Russian bombing of power stations left large parts of the city in darkness.
Yet despite the Russian army's advance into eastern Ukraine, Zelensky's Armed Forces made sure to remind Putin that his country is not immune to their drone attacks with a strike deep inside Russia.
Terrible attack by Ukrainian drones at a depth of 1500 km in Russia
According to International Media, "Ukraine attacked Shahed drone factory, oil refinery deep inside Russia," noting:
"Kiev carried out the drone attack in Tatarstan, according to local media.
A drone manufacturing facility deep inside Russian territory was bombed this morning , according to local officials.
Drones attacked manufacturing facilities in Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk in Russia's Tatarstan republic, about 1,500 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, local governor Rustam Minnikhanov said in a statement.
"In Yelabuga, unfortunately, there are casualties as a result of the destruction of the facilities. They are being provided with all necessary medical assistance," Minnikhanov said, without disclosing further details.
Target Russian drone production plant and oil refinery
Ukrainian media, citing sources from Kiev's HUR military intelligence agency, reported that Ukraine attacked a Shahed drone production plant in "Yelabuga".
HUR officials, who were granted anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly, said they "can neither confirm nor deny that Ukrainian drones attacked a drone production plant and oil refinery deep in Russian territory."
In July 2023, AP reported that Iran was helping Russia build a drone factory in Yelabuga, citing US intelligence data released by the White House.
Russia uses domestically produced Shahed drones called "Geran" drones to attack Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure on an almost daily basis.
While Minnikhanov said the attacks on the production facilities did not cause serious damage, the technological process of operations was not disrupted and only six people were injured, Russian media and Telegram channels reported that a drone hit the Taneko refinery complex in Nizhnekamsk, posting photos of the explosion on one of the oil pumping rigs.
Two other drones attacked an industrial park in Yelabuga where Russian authorities are making drones, according to an investigation by Idel.Realiii, the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The Alabuga press service said the drones hit dormitories, presenting it as if Ukraine hit urban infrastructure, not the facilities of a large defense and engineering industrial park that is home to more than 20 businesses, including a drone factory.
This year, Ukraine has increased production of drones that can fly at a distance of 1,000 kilometers, Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov told German news agency Welt.
"Most of the drones that attacked Russian refineries have a range of 700 to 1,000 km, but now there are models that can fly more than 1,000 km," Fedorov said."
Where is the Russian air defense?
The question is where is the Russian air defense?
It just went walkabout the much-publicized multi-level Russian anti-aircraft umbrella.
After that we expect the moratorium on Senior-Russian officers in charge of air defense duties.
