Ukrainian drones reportedly hit Russian fiber optic plant in Saransk

Ukrainian drones struck the Optic Fiber Systems plant in Saransk, Mordovia Republic, Russian independent outlet Astra reported on May 7.

Two fires broke out in Saransk following the drone attack. One fire erupted at the Optic Fiber Systems plant, while the second ignited a few kilometers away, reportedly at the Saranskkabel plant.

Local residents told the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Shot that several powerful explosions shook the city's industrial district around 6 a.m.

"The fiber optic systems plant in Saransk was very seriously damaged after the strike," Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said on May 7.

Kovalenko claimed the factory supplied the Russian army with materials for the production of fiber-optic drones, which are resistant to electronic warfare interference, and said the shutdown of the factory was now a possibility.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The potential consequences of the attack on the Saranskkabel plant remain unknown.

The operational headquarters of Mordovia banned the publication of photos and videos showing the aftermath of the attack.

The Optic Fiber Systems plant, with an annual capacity of 4 million kilometers of fiber, also supplies major Russian telecom operators.

The facility was also targeted on April 4, when Ukrainian drones struck fiber-optic and explosives factories across Russia.

Saransk lies about 630 kilometers (around 390 miles) east of Moscow and roughly 1000 kilometers (620 miles) from the nearest point on the Russia–Ukraine border.

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The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy