Editor's note: This article is being updated.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) targeted a manufacturing facility for Shahed-type attack drones in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, a source in HUR told the Kyiv Independent on April 2.
Russia's military has used Iranian-designed Shahed-type kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine's cities and critical infrastructure regularly throughout the full-scale invasion, killing and injuring dozens of civilians.
Over the last weeks, Ukraine has carried out increasingly regular attacks on Russian oil refineries and other industrial facilities with long-range drones.
Drones hit industrial facilities in Tatarstan's Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk, allegedly injuring several people, the republic's press service reported earlier the same day, claiming that "there was no serious damage."
The technological process at the enterprises "was not disrupted," according to the local authorities. The Kyiv Independent is unable to verify claims made by Russian authorities.
The press service of Alabuga, a special economic zone in the Yelabuga district hosting over 20 industrial enterprises, said that one of its dormitories was damaged in the attack and two people were wounded, Russian state-controlled media outlet RIA Novosti reported.
Yelabuga is located over 1,200 kilometers away from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Igor Kossov
Later, the authorities claimed that three people were hospitalized following the attack on Alabuga.
The Washington Post reported in August 2023, citing leaked documents, that Russia was setting up a production line in Tatarstan aiming to build 6,000 attack drones by the summer of 2025.
The manufacturing plans entailed an expansion in the scale of production of a Russian version of Iranian Shahed drones, which would improve on"Iran's dated manufacturing techniques."
The documents revealed that the production facilities were at the Alabuga special economic zone, the same location of the alleged drone strike on April 2.
Kyiv has intensified its efforts to ramp up domestic production of drones, a critical tool on the battlefield, aiming to manufacture 1 million drones this year.
Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on April 1 that Ukraine has domestically-produced attack drones capable of flying over 1,000 kilometers.
Igor Kossov
