Second deep strike in days hits Shahed-type drone storage site in Russia, SBU says
Ukrainian drones hit a storage facility in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan home to Shahed-type attack drones and foreign components used in their assembly, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Aug. 12.
The strike warehouses in the village of Kyzyl-Yul, roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine, igniting a fire at the site. The attack follows a similar strike on Aug. 9 and underscores Kyiv's efforts to disrupt Russia's drone production capabilities.
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan is home to a facility producing Shahed-type long-range attack drones and other reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
"The repeated attack on this military-industrial complex facility aims to reduce the enemy's capabilities for 'Shahed terror' against Ukraine," SBU said in a statement.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the SBU's claims.
Tatarstan, located in central European Russia's Volga-Ural region, is far from the front lines. Its capital, Kazan, lies about 800 kilometers (497 miles) east of Moscow.
According to Russia's Defense Ministry, nine Ukrainian drones were shot down over Tatarstan during the attack on the morning of Aug. 9.
Shahed-type drones, known in Russia as Geran-2, are long-range "kamikaze" strike UAVs modified from the original Iranian-model, that have become a central part of Moscow's arsenal due to their range, payload capacity, and relatively low cost.
Capable of flying up to 2,500 kilometers (1,554 miles) at speeds of 180 kilometers per hour (112 miles per hour), they have been used extensively since late 2022 for long-range attacks, often painted black to blend in during night operations.
Kateryna Hodunova
