Ukraine launched a series of long-distance attacks on military and energy facilities deep inside Russia on Wednesday, aiming to increase pressure on Moscow by targeting key industrial and energy infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces struck several sites, including a military factory that he claimed produces components for Russian drones and missiles.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo long-range missiles hit a facility in Cheboksary in Russia’s Chuvashiya region, more than 900 kilometres from the front line.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 326 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Oleg Nikolayev, head of Chuvashiya, confirmed the attack but did not share details. However, the Astra news outlet reported that the strike hit the VNIIR-Progress plant, which manufactures drone antennas.
Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces targeted a refinery in Russia’s Samara region. Regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said several industrial sites were damaged in drone strikes and three people were injured, though he did not specify which facilities were hit. Astra published images showing a large fire at the refinery.
He added that Ukraine’s security service (SBU) also struck two oil infrastructure sites in Russia’s Vladimir region, around 700 kilometres from the front line.
In Russian-occupied Crimea, a Ukrainian drone hit a building housing a large historical panorama painting depicting the 19th-century Crimean War defence of Sevastopol. Kremlin-appointed official Mikhail Razvozhayev said the artwork by Franz Roubaud was effectively destroyed.
With the front line largely static after more than four years of war, both sides have increasingly relied on long-range drone and missile strikes.
Ukrainian officials say these deeper strikes are intended to disrupt Russia’s military supply chain and energy sector, while also challenging President Vladimir Putin’s claims of progress in the war.
Russia, meanwhile, said it downed 181 of 207 Ukrainian drones in separate attacks. Ukrainian officials reported renewed Russian strikes across several regions, including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa, leaving multiple civilians injured and several dead or wounded.