'A series of loud explosions' — Ukraine 'destroys' key Russian drone factory in Taganrog, SBU says
Ukraine struck a key Russian factory involved in the production of strike and reconnaissance drones in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, overnight on Jan. 13, sparking a huge blaze and a "series of loud explosions," Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said.
"The SBU's Alpha Special Operations Center, together with units of the Ukrainian Navy's forces and equipment group, struck the production buildings of the Atlant Aero plant," the agency said in a statement.
The plant is involved in the production of "Orion" drones, electronic warfare complexes, and digital integration systems for strike FPV (first person view) drones and loitering munitions.
"The destruction of the plant will reduce the production of (unmanned aerial vehicles) UAVs and weaken the technical capabilities of the occupiers to conduct reconnaissance and strike operations using drones," the SBU said.
"Each stopped production line means hundreds of drones that will not fly over Ukrainian cities, kill civilians, or destroy homes."
Ukrainian forces reportedly hit a Russian drone factory in the city of Taganrog tonight, setting it ablaze.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 13, 2026
Multiple explosions were reported at the Atlant drone company, manufacturer of the Molniya-series attack drones. pic.twitter.com/yr3SA3b7gV
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The plant in Taganrog has previously been targeted by Ukraine, most recently in June of last year.
Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia have extensively invested in drone technology, revolutionizing the way wars are fought.
The SBU has been at the forefront of this, regularly striking targets inside Russia.
Overnight long-range strikes successfully damaged an ammunition depot and oil facility in central Russia, a source inside the agency told the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 6.
The strikes are just the latest in an escalating Ukrainian "deep strike" campaign against Russian military targets and oil infrastructure, made possible by the growing domestic production of long-range attack drones.
According to the SBU source, long-range drones operated by the agency's Alpha special forces unit struck a large Russian arsenal near the town of Neya in Kostroma Oblast, claiming that explosions from the secondary detonations of ammunition at the depot "rang out all night."
