Ukraine has targeted multiple chemical plants vital to production of weapons and explosives for the Russian military, according to a Ukrainian official, with Kyiv launching a wave of missile and drone attacks in several Russian regions overnight.
Ukrainian forces attacked the Bryansk Chemical Plant late on Monday (a facility in the border Bryansk region of Russia that props up Russia's military industry), said Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
Russian and Ukrainian sources reported that Kyiv used U.S.-supplied long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles. Newsweek could not independently verify this, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry and Ukrainian military for comment via email.
Kyiv also targeted a nearby Russian microelectronics facility producing parts for missile systems and air defenses, Kovalenko said, and a number of other sites important to the Kremlin's war machine across Russia, like a chemical plant in the country's Tatarstan region.
Why It Matters
The Biden administration greenlit Ukraine's use of long-range Western weapons deep into Russian territory late last year after many months of resisting pressure from Kyiv on the topic.
Ukraine has largely used home-grown long-range drones to target Russia's vital facilities, from airbases to oil refineries and chemical plants, hundreds of miles across the border.
What To Know
Russian independent outlet Astra reported that Ukraine had attacked a chemical plant in the town of Seltso, northwest of the city of Bryansk. A Russian Telegram channel with purported links to Moscow's security services said ATACMS missiles were used in the strike.
Ukraine just hit Russia’s Bryansk with ATACMS missiles. The target was a chemical plant rocked by 30 explosions.
Footage shows Russian air defenses scrambling to intercept — but failing. pic.twitter.com/7TqefsjGXE
The Bryansk Chemical Plant "specializes in the production of gunpowder," making parts for rockets and explosives and keeping Moscow's artillery ammunition production ticking over, Kovalenko said. Ukraine has previously attacked the site. The extent of the damage is not clear.
In later statements, Kovalenko said Ukraine had hit the nearby Kremniy El microelectronics plant in Bryansk, adding: "Something has exploded there again."
Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, said on Monday evening that Kyiv had launched a "massive" missile strike on the border region.
Kovalenko said "large numbers" of attacks were being carried out across Russia, then sharing footage claiming to show destruction in Russia's Tatarstan, Saratov, Bryansk and Tula regions.
Ukraine targeted "factories for the production of components and substances for weapons, a refinery, an oil depot, warehouses and Russian air defense," the official said.
Russian and Ukrainian sources reported attacks on a fuel depot in the city of Kazan, in the Tatarstan region, with footage circulating online appearing to show fuel tanks burning at the site. The Astra outlet reported that three fuel tanks had caught fire after a drone attack.
Rustam Minnikhanov, the governor of the Tatarstan region, said early on Tuesday that he had arrived at "the scene of a fire that started as a result of a drone attack." The governor said the fire was quickly extinguished, without "casualties or serious damage." Russian sources also reported drones attacking the Tatarstan city of Almetyevsk.
Kovalenko said Ukraine had hit the Orgsintez chemical plant in northern Kazan, described as "a strategic facility that is of direct importance for the Russian military-industrial complex." The plant makes materials used in military equipment like armored vehicles, the official said.
Kovalenko then said Russian air defenses had failed to intercept Ukrainian strikes in the Saratov region. Regional governor Roman Busargin said Kyiv launched a "massive" drone attack on the cities of Saratov and Engels, damaging two unspecified industrial sites.
Ukraine attacked Saratov and Engels, where Russia bases its long-range conventional and nuclear bombers plus fuel sites for the aircraft, over the weekend.
Tula regional governor said Russian air defenses had intercepted 16 drones over the region overnight. Several cars and buildings were damaged, Russian state media reported.
State news agency Tass reported that drones had also attacked the Rostov, Voronezh, Oryol, Saratov and Tatarstan regions, with alerts activated in Samara.
Who Said What
Bryansk regional governor, Alexander Bogomaz, on Telegram Monday: "The Kyiv regime made a massive attempt to launch a combined missile strike on the territory of the Bryansk region. The air defense forces of the Russian Defense Ministry destroyed all targets."
Ukrainian official, Andriy Kovalenko, on Telegram Tuesday: "Targets in Engels, Saratov, Kazan, Bryansk, Tula, including factories for the production of components and substances for weapons, a refinery, an oil depot, warehouses and Russian air defense."
What Happens Next
Ukraine will very likely continue its long-range strikes against Russia, particularly with domestically-developed drones, although it's not clear how many more ATACMS missiles Ukraine will receive from the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated next week.
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