Ukraine Drone Strikes Disrupt Russian Warfare Plant, Railways and Airports Day 1,250 Highlights
Ukrainian drones struck key Russian military infrastructure over the weekend, including a major electronic warfare facility, while retaliatory Russian attacks pounded several Ukrainian cities. The developments mark an escalation in the ongoing conflict as both sides ramp up strikes on critical logistics and military assets.
Signal Plant Targeted in Stavropol
In one of the most significant Ukrainian strikes, drones hit the Signal radio-electronic warfare plant in Russia’s Stavropol region, over 500 km from the Ukrainian border. An official from Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service confirmed to Reuters that two facilities at the plant — which manufactures radar systems, radio navigation, and remote-control devices — were damaged.
Videos circulating on social media showed a fiery explosion followed by thick plumes of black smoke. Ukrainian officials said, “Each such attack halts production and diminishes the enemy’s military capabilities. This campaign will continue.”
Civilian Air Travel and Rail Disrupted
Russia’s aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, suspended flights at Volgograd airport shortly after midnight on Sunday in response to renewed drone threats. Simultaneously, drones targeted a railway power hub in the Volgograd region, disrupting services. Several other southern and western Russian regions issued air raid alerts due to similar threats.
In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed drone activity, while officials in Penza oblast and Rostov region reported strikes on industrial zones. In Rostov, two fatalities were reported as a result of the drone attacks.
Ukrainian Cities Also Under Fire
Ukraine’s regions of Dnipro, Sumy, and Kharkiv faced intensified Russian strikes using both rockets and drones. At least two people died and five were injured in Dnipro, where residential buildings and a shopping centre were damaged. In Sumy, drone attacks struck the city’s central square and injured three. Kharkiv suffered multiple aerial attacks, injuring six people, including four emergency responders hit during a follow-up strike — a tactic known as a “double tap.”
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched a massive overnight barrage of 208 drones and 27 missiles on Saturday. Air defenses reportedly intercepted 183 drones and 17 missiles. However, 10 missiles and 25 drones managed to strike nine regions.
Territorial Gains and Battle Updates
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces had seized Zelenyi Hai in Donetsk and Maliivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Zelenyi Hai had been attacked 11 times in 24 hours, while it said Russian assaults on Maliivka had been successfully repelled.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Pokrovsk remains under continuous Russian pressure and is now a focal point of military concern. A military spokesperson described the attacks there as a “small torrent … that simply does not stop.”
Zelenskyy also acknowledged Ukrainian “successful actions” in Sumy and reaffirmed Ukraine’s reliance on long-range drones to strike back at Russian military and logistical facilities.
Explosive Shipments Under Scrutiny
In a parallel development, Reuters reported that an Indian firm exported $1.4 million worth of HMX (also known as octogen), a powerful explosive compound, to two Russian manufacturers despite international scrutiny. Though the Indian firm maintained the material was for “civilian industrial use,” the U.S. government has identified HMX as “critical for Russia’s war effort” due to its use in missile warheads and advanced military systems.
The report noted that one of the Russian facilities receiving the compound was later targeted by Ukrainian drones after being linked to Russian military production.
Zelenskyy Responds
In a strongly worded statement, Zelenskyy said:
“There can be absolutely no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this. Russian military enterprises, logistics, and airports must feel that this war has real consequences for them.”
As the war enters its 1,250th day, both sides are intensifying long-range operations, targeting not just soldiers on the frontlines but also the infrastructure sustaining each other’s war machines. More escalations are likely as drone warfare reshapes the battleground far beyond the trenches.
