Ukraine strikes industrial facility in Russia's Samara with 'Flamingo' missiles

An industrial facility in Russia's Samara region was struck by a Ukrainian missile attack overnight on Saturday, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorychev. While the governor did not specify the exact enterprise, Ukrainian sources indicated that the target might have been the 'Progress' rocket space center, known for manufacturing medium-class carrier rockets and automated spacecraft.

Independent media outlet 'Astra,' analyzing satellite imagery, reported a fire in a workshop belonging to either 'Progress' or the nearby 'Aviakor' factory, which specializes in aircraft repair and modernization. Ukrainian Telegram channels later reported that one of the missiles hit the main workshop of 'Progress,' though reports of a strike on 'Aviakor' remained unconfirmed. The attack reportedly utilized Ukrainian-produced "Flamingo" cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, other Russian regions experienced Ukrainian drone attacks. The governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, reported that 15 drones were shot down over his territory, with two people injured in Shatura village. Authorities in the Rostov region claimed to have destroyed ten drones and missiles, causing power outages for approximately 1,000 households in the Millerovo district. A fire also broke out at an agricultural enterprise in the Penza region. Additionally, Ukrainian media reported explosions near the Sevashleyka military airfield in the Nizhny Novgorod region, a base for MiG-21 fighters used by Russia for Kinzhal hypersonic missile attacks on Ukraine.

In response to the drone attacks, operations were temporarily suspended at numerous airports across Russia, including Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Cheboksary, Sochi, Pskov, Volgograd, Penza, Yaroslavl, and Pulkovo in St. Petersburg, as well as Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky in Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Defense asserted that a total of 598 Ukrainian drones were shot down over 17 Russian regions and occupied Crimea. However, Russian authorities did not provide figures for drones that were not intercepted, while experts estimate that 10% to 15% of drones successfully reach their targets. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 152 attack drones and drone decoys at Ukraine, with Ukrainian air defenses shooting down or neutralizing 124 of them. Direct hits were confirmed in 16 areas, with debris from downed drones causing damage in another.