Drones Strike Deep in Russia, as Ukraine Extends Its Weapons Range

Exploding drones hit an oil refinery and munitions factory far to the east of Moscow on Tuesday, in what Ukrainian media and military experts said was among the longest-range strikes with Ukrainian drones so far in the war.

The drones struck in the Tatarstan region of Russia, about 700 miles from Ukrainian-held territory. Just a day earlier, a Ukrainian official had announced that the country’s domestically produced drones were now able to hit targets beyond 1,000 kilometers, or 621 miles.

The targeted factory was built by Russia to produce its own arsenal of long-range attack drones that are based on an Iranian design known as Shaheds. Russia calls these models Geran-2’s.

Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone hit a dormitory at a factory in the Tatarstan region. Videos posted online, which have not been confirmed as authentic, showed people diving to the ground as explosions rang out. In the video, a bystander can be heard yelling, “a drone hit the factory!”

Spokespeople for Ukraine’s domestic and military intelligence agencies declined to comment on the attack in Tatarstan. In the past, they have claimed responsibility for some strikes inside Russia, but often they have refused to confirm or deny their involvement.

The strike on the oil refinery was the 18th launched against Russian refineries with long-range drones since Ukraine began targeting them last October, a campaign that has shrunk Russia’s refining capacity and forced it to ban gasoline exports temporarily.