Ukrainian drone strike reportedly targets gunpowder factory in Russia's Tambov Oblast
A Ukrainian drone strike targeted a Russian gunpowder factory in the village of Kuzmino-Gat in Tambov Oblast overnight on Jan. 16, local Telegram channels and a Ukrainian official claimed.
Eyewitnesses in the nearby city of Kotovsk heard the sound of a drone engine as it was passing over their houses, presumably heading to the factory, the Shot Telegram channel reported.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces downed 27 Ukrainian drones over various regions overnight, including three in Tambov Oblast. The same night, a Russian oil depot in Voronezh Oblast reportedly caught fire as a result of the drone attack.
Russian authorities said there were no casualties as a result of the attack in Tambov Oblast and that the roof of a house was damaged by drone debris. It is not immediately clear whether the plant suffered any damage due to the attack.
The Kuzmino-Gat gunpowder factory is "one of the key facilities of the Russian military-industrial complex involved in the war against Ukraine," said Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
"The gunpowder produced here is used for various types of small arms, artillery, and rocket launchers." The plant also produces colloxylin, which is used to manufacture explosives and other products, Kovalenko added.
Kuzmino-Gat lies roughly 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of the Russia-Ukraine border.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify all the claims.
The news comes amid Ukraine's escalating drone campaign targeting Russian military and industrial facilities in the rear.
Kyiv launched one of its most massive long-range attacks on Jan. 14, successfully striking refineries, chemical plants, and ammunition depots, including a distillery in Novaya Lyada in Tambov Oblast.
The Kuzmino-Gat gunpowder factory was previously struck by Ukrainian drones in July 2024, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent at the time.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
