Two industrial sites in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, about 1,100 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border, were attacked by a drone on Tuesday morning, officials said.
A defense source in Kiev told AFP that Ukrainian military intelligence agency GUR was behind the strikes, which he said hit facilities where Iranian-designed Shahed drones are being assembled.
The source did not say where the attack was launched, although if launched from Ukrainian-controlled territory, it would be one of the broadest drone strikes carried out by Ukrainian forces since the large-scale Russian invasion more than two years ago.
“Facilities in Elabuga and Nizhnekamsk were attacked by drones,” Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov said in a post on the messaging app Telegram.
At least six people were injured in the attack in Yelabuga, TASS news agency reported, citing local emergency services.
Videos on social media showed a drone flying over a two-storey building in a shopping complex outside the city before exploding and sending a fireball into the air.
Minnikhanov said that there was no serious damage and that production at the facility was continuing.
TASS quoted the mayor of Nizhnekamsk as saying that air defense systems thwarted an attempted attack on an oil refinery. He added that there were no damages or injuries.
RIA Novosti said that a drone struck the site of the Taniko oil refinery, owned by the oil and gas company Tatneft.
The resulting fire was extinguished within 20 minutes and production continued without interruption, the news agency reported, citing emergency services.
Ukraine claimed responsibility for several drone strikes on oil refineries deep in Russian territory, claiming that they were legitimate retaliation for Moscow's targeting of its energy facilities and aimed to cripple the Russian fuel sector, which is a vital sector for both its military revenues and its exports.
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