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Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A Ukrainian drone attack struck the JSC VNIIR-Progress facility in the Russian city of Cheboksary in the Chuvashia Republic, causing explosions and massive fires, Russian Telegram news channels reported in the early hours of June 9.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed the strike, saying Ukrainian drone units, in coordination with other units, targeted VNIIR-Progress and ABS Electro in Cheboksary overnight as part of efforts to degrade Russia's capacity to produce air attack systems.
The targeted facilities are part of Russia's military-industrial complex and produce adaptive Kometa antennas, used in Shahed-type attack drones, planning and correction modules for guided aerial bombs (KAB), and other precision-guided weapons, the General Staff said.
The Ukrainian military confirmed that at least two drones struck the site, causing a large fire. The results of the strike are still being assessed.
VNIIR-Progress is a Russian state institute that specializes in developing electronic warfare (EW) systems, including the Kometa antenna, used to jam satellite, radio, and radar signals. The facility has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the EU.
Oleg Nikolayev, the head of the Chuvashia Republic, claimed that two drones "fell" on the premises of the VNIIR-Progress facility on June 9.
The "responsible decision was made to temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees," he said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
In video footage from local residents purporting to show the attack on the facility, smoke and flames can be seen rising over the city of Cheboksary. One video, published by the Russian independent news outlet Astra, shows a drone approaching the target and making impact, causing another explosion.
VNIIR-Progress is a major research and development institute for Russian EW systems. It produces the Kometa antenna, which Russia uses to make its bombs more accurate and less vulnerable to Ukrainian interference.
The strike marks the second reported Ukrainian drone attack against Russia's Chuvashia Repbulic.
Ukraine reportedly attacked the Burevestnik oil refinery in Cheboksary on March 9, in its first reported drone strike in the region. The refinery lies over 900 kilometers (559 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
In recent days, Ukraine has launched a number of strikes against military facilities in Russia, including missile bases and airfields. The most audacious and high-profile attack came on June 1, when Ukraine carried out Operation Spiderweb — a mass drone strike that simultaneously targeted four major Russian air bases, reportedly damaging 41 planes.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on June 9 that air defense units had intercepted 49 Ukrainian drones throughout the country.
Overnight drone strikes reportedly triggered flight restrictions at airports in Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Tambov.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
