Kazan, the capital of the republic of Tatarstan in Russia, in October. Local media in Kazan reported on Tuesday that a tanker at a liquefied natural gas base was struck by a Ukrainian drone.
Credit...Alexander Zemlianichenko/Associated Press

Ukraine Launches ‘Massive’ Drone Attacks Inside Russia, Officials Say

The barrage appeared to be one of the largest recent assaults in Ukraine’s campaign to damage Russia’s war machine on its home territory.

by · NY Times

Russia-Ukraine War 

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Ukraine carried out “massive” drone strikes on several regions of Russia overnight, local officials there said on Tuesday, in what appeared to be one of the largest recent assaults in Kyiv’s campaign to cripple Russia’s war machine on its home turf.

The attacks, mostly in southwestern Russia, were the latest in a series demonstrating Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside the country, even as Kyiv’s forces face setbacks on their own territory.

Blasts were reported in the border region of Bryansk, and drones targeted regions well beyond it like Saratov and Tula in western Russia, officials in those areas said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine had launched more than 140 drones, along with U.S.-made long-range missiles known as ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles provided by Britain.

“These actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by Western curators, will not go unanswered,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said it had attacked three regions of Russia and the republic of Tatarstan, including strikes nearly 700 miles into Russia. The targets included an oil storage base, as well as military production facilities, the General Staff said in a statement.

The drone strikes forced at least six cities to restrict their airspace on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from Russia’s Federal Aviation Agency. Those included the cities of Saratov and Engels, which were attacked overnight.

Two industrial plants sustained damage, Roman V. Busargin, the governor of the Saratov region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “Today Saratov and Engels were subjected to a massive UAV attack,” he said, using the initials for unmanned aerial vehicle. “Air defenses eliminated a large number of targets.”

It was the second time in a week that Engels, which is the site of an airfield for some of Russia’s long-range, nuclear-capable bombers, was attacked. Emergency crews recently extinguished a large fire sparked by a strike on Jan. 8.

Mr. Busargin said that, in the wake of the attacks, schools would be closed and classes in Engels and Saratov would be held remotely on Tuesday.

The authorities in the Tula region of western Russia similarly confirmed a large drone attack. Dmitry V. Milyaev, the regional governor, said air defenses had shot down 16 drones and that falling debris had damaged some cars and buildings. There were no casualties, officials said.

Local news media in Kazan, the capital of the republic of Tatarstan, in southwestern Russia, reported that a tanker at a liquefied natural gas base had been struck, igniting a large fire.

The head of the republic, Rustam N. Minnikhanov, wrote on Telegram that firefighters had put out the blaze and that there had been no casualties or “significant damage.”

In the border region of Bryansk, which has come under more regular attack, powerful explosions were reported. The Russian independent news organization Astra said that a chemical plant had been struck; the report could not be independently verified.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 31 drones, six ATACMS and six Storm Shadow missiles targeting Bryansk.

From the start, Kyiv’s strikes in Russia have aimed at limiting Moscow’s ability to attack Ukrainian cities. But in recent weeks, they have taken on added weight as Kyiv has apparently attempted to project strength before President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration next week, amid concerns he might temper U.S. support for Ukraine.

European leaders have assured Ukraine that they will not abandon it in the face of continued Russian aggression.

On Tuesday, Germany’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius, made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of solidarity.

“It is important for me to show with this trip that we continue to actively support Ukraine,” Mr. Pistorius said upon arriving in the Ukrainian capital, according to German news media.

Mr. Zelensky said the two men had discussed a range of topics, including military assistance to Ukraine, strengthening air defenses and ammunition supplies.

“I am grateful to Germany for its unwavering support, which has not only strengthened Ukraine’s defense, but also played a crucial role in enhancing Europe’s security as a whole,” Mr. Zelensky said in a statement.

Mr. Trump has vowed to end the war swiftly. While he has not said how, many in Ukraine fear that he could make concessions to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that have been red lines for Kyiv.

Ahead of Mr. Trump’s inauguration on Monday, the Russian military has also been putting on a show of force. While Kyiv’s drones were targeting regions of Russia overnight, Moscow’s forces were carrying out an aerial assault on Ukraine that put much of the country under air-raid alerts.

Ukraine’s Air Force said on Tuesday morning that nearly 80 drones were involved in the attack but that it had managed to shoot down 60. Apartment buildings and cars sustained damage from downed drones in several regions, it added, but there were no casualties.

Nataliia Novosolova and Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed reporting.

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