MOSCOW: Work at an electronics factory in Russia’s Chuvashia region, some 600 kilometres east of Moscow, was briefly suspended on Monday after a Ukrainian drone attack, local officials said.
Moscow said falling debris from intercepted drones fell on the facility, while Ukraine claimed a direct hit on the site.
“This morning, Ukrainian attempts to use drones in Chuvashia were detected,“ regional governor Oleg Nikolayev wrote on Telegram.
“Two drones fell on the territory of the VNIIR factory,“ said Nikolayev, adding that there were no casualties.
The site is one of the main factories producing electronic components in Russia.
Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement that it had targeted “a military-industrial complex facility, where antennas for Shahed (drones) were manufactured”.
Russia fires dozens of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones at Ukrainian cities on a daily basis.
Ukraine regularly launches retaliatory drone strikes in response to Moscow’s aerial bombardments, which began with its full-scale offensive into Ukrainian territory more than three years ago.
“Strikes on the facilities that support the armed aggression of the Russian Federation will continue until it is completely stopped,“ Ukraine’s General Staff added.
Governor Nikolayev said that the decision had been taken to “temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees”.
Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 49 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Ukraine said it shot down “dozens” of Russian drones over its western Rivne region.
The massive Russian attack saw Ukraine’s western neighbour Poland scramble fighter jets to secure its airspace, Warsaw’s Operational Command said in a statement on social media.
