Ukraine launches drone towards Moscow

2024-10-20 14:00:46, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukraine reportedly launched a large number of drones towards Moscow and Russia's western regions on Sunday. Also, an attack on an industrial area, where an important weapons factory is located, is reported.

The attacks come a day after Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked a microelectronics plant that is vital to the Russian military.

A day ago, the defense ministers of the Group of Seven most industrialized countries (G7) supported Ukraine's "irreversible" path to NATO membership. This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled his "victory plan" to the EU and NATO, but failed to get the immediate membership invitation he sought.

Russian Telegram channel Astra posted a video it said showed the attack on the industrial zone in the city of Dzerzhinsk in Russia's Nizhni Novgorod region.

The Sverdlov Defense Plant, a state-owned enterprise that produces explosives, industrial chemicals, detonators and ammunition, is located in this area. It is not clear whether the factory, which has been sanctioned by the United States, was damaged in the attack.

The governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, wrote in a Telegram post that the attack was repelled by air defense systems and that four firefighters were injured during the attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry said 110 drones were downed overnight, including 43 over the Kursk region, 27 over the Lipetsk region, 18 over the Oryol region, eight over the Nizhni Novgorod region, six over the Bryansk region and one over the Moscow region.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also confirmed that a drone flying towards the capital was shot down over the capital's Ramenskoi district.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on the reported drone strike, which came a day after reports that Ukrainian drones had struck the Kremniy El microelectronics factory in the city of Briansk overnight between October 18 and 19.

Russian opposition media Astra reported on October 19 that Ukrainian drones hit the factory and pointed out that it is one of the largest microelectronics manufacturers in Russia and that the Russian Ministry of Defense is one of its biggest customers./ VOA