Ukraine did not use weapons provided by Western partners for the attack on facilities in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, Andrii Yusov, a military intelligence spokesman, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RLE) on April 3.
Ukrainian forces struck drone factories on April 2 in the cities of Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk, located about 1,300 kilometers (around 800 miles) away from the Russia-Ukraine border, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported.
When answering claims that Tatarstan was allegedly struck by "UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) with NATO equipment," Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General, said at the briefing on April 2 that the U.N. "stands against and call for a halt to all attacks on civilian infrastructure."
The press service of Alabuga reported that one of its dormitories was damaged in the attack. Russian state-controlled media claimed there were 13 injured students.
Yusov said that "the targets were hit" and that the destruction of neighboring facilities "was the result of Russian air defense."
"We can state that foreign-made weapons and equipment of our allies were not used in these events; it is a fact. And the fact that the Ukrainian UAV industry is developing dynamically should not be concealed," the agency's spokesperson said.
Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on April 1 that Ukraine has produced attack drones capable of flying over 1,000 kilometers. Kyiv has intensified its efforts to ramp up domestic production of drones, aiming to manufacture 1 million drones in 2024.
Not all of Kyiv's allies have celebrated Ukraine's offensive against the Russian oil industry. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on April 2 that Washington has "neither supported nor enabled strikes by Ukraine outside of its territory."
The Financial Times reported in March that the U.S. warned Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, allegedly out of concern that strikes could raise global oil prices.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that targeting Russian oil and weapons facilities is a legitimate military strategy and that Ukraine has a right to use its own weapons for self-defense.
Abbey Fenbert
