Ukraine strikes arms factory in Russia/Moscow launches a barrage of drones

2026-06-27 18:33:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukraine announced on Saturday that it had carried out a long-range nighttime strike on a military-industrial complex in Volgograd, Russia, as Moscow launched a barrage of drones over Ukraine in another night of cross-border attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian FP-5 “Flamingo” missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady plant.

"Any Russian defense facility working on the war against Ukraine is a legitimate target for our long-range strikes," Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday.

He said the missiles "successfully hit the Titan-Barrikady enterprise in Volgograd", describing it as "a large industrial complex where the enemy produces artillery systems and specialized military equipment, including elements for rocket launchers used to strike our people".

"A strike was followed by fire on the territory of the plant," he added, thanking the Ukrainian Defense Forces "for their accuracy."

The Titan-Barrikady building, in the Krasnoktiabrsky district of Volgograd, is associated with the production of artillery systems, specialized military equipment, and components for rocket launcher systems.

Videos shared online showed explosions and smoke rising above the plant after the reported attack.

Volgograd Governor Andrey Bocharov confirmed that Ukrainian "high-velocity" shells had hit the city and damaged production facilities at an enterprise in the Krasnoktiabrsk district.

He said 10 people were injured. Bocharov did not identify the facility, but Titan-Barrikady is located in that district.

Russian drone attack

The attack came as Russia carried out another major drone attack on Ukraine on the night of June 26–27. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian forces used 129 drones, including Shahed attack drones, Gerbera and Italmas drones, as well as Parodiya decoy drones.

The drones were launched from several directions, including Kursk, Bryansk, Millerovo, Oryol and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as from occupied Crimea and occupied Donetsk.

Ukraine said its air defenses shot down 113 drones in the north, south and east of the country. Officials said 13 strike drones hit their targets in seven locations, while debris from the downed drones fell in three other places.

In the northeastern region of Sumy, local authorities said on Saturday that one person was killed and 14 others were wounded in more than 60 Russian attacks in the past 24 hours. Officials reported damage to homes, vehicles and civilian infrastructure in the border region.

The overnight exchanges coincided with escalating tensions in occupied Crimea, where Russian-installed authorities declared a state of emergency following continued Ukrainian attacks on the peninsula.

Crimea's Russian-appointed leader, Sergei Aksyonov, said the move was intended to help manage procedures for damages and compensation claims. The move came amid reports of power outages, fuel restrictions and increasing pressure on local infrastructure.

Authorities reported ongoing power problems in Crimea and Sevastopol, while fuel sales have been restricted. Officials also suspended the admission of children to summer camps for the remainder of the season, although the tourist season was not officially canceled.

Prisoner exchange

Amid the hostilities, Russia and Ukraine completed another prisoner swap on June 26, with 160 prisoners of war returned from each side. The exchange, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, remains one of the few areas where coordination between Moscow and Kiev continues.

SEE ALSO: Russia and Ukraine complete largest prisoner exchange since war began
Zelensky confirmed that 160 Ukrainian soldiers had been returned from Russian captivity. He said almost all had been held since 2022 and included defenders of Mariupol and the Azovstal steel plant.

He said more than 9,500 people have returned since the start of the full-scale occupation, including 1,596 Ukrainians in 2026.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russia lost 1,350 troops over the past 24 hours, along with tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, drones, missiles and other equipment.

Russia does not regularly publish comparable battlefield figures, and the claims of both sides cannot be independently verified. /REL