The Russian Defense Ministry claims to have destroyed up to 250 Ukrainian military drones in airstrikes in Zaporozhye Region.
According to the Russian military, the attacks using glide bombs targeted “workshops and storehouses” belonging to Motor Sich, a state-owned manufacturer that began as a major Soviet aircraft engine maker.
On Thursday, the ministry released a video purportedly showing the strikes alongside a statement. It showed what appeared to be drone footage of an urban industrial zone filmed at nighttime, with several explosions occurring in the area.
Russia’s Zaporozhye Region is claimed and partially controlled by Ukraine. Ivan Fyodorov, who leads Kiev’s administration there, confirmed a Russian attack on an industrial facility in the city of Zaporozhye on Wednesday evening. He claimed that a residential area was also hit, resulting in several injuries.
The Ukrainian government claims that it has significantly boosted the domestic assembly of unmanned aerial vehicles, turning the nation into a major drone power amid the conflict with Russia.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky complained last week that “some [of the] largest states exporting drone components are introducing export restrictions.” The remark was apparently directed at Beijing, which introduced such restrictions with the stated goal of preventing the weaponization of civilian drones produced in China.
Russia has also ramped up its drone production, with nearly 140,000 unmanned aircraft of various types delivered to the armed forces in 2023, according to President Vladimir Putin. Production is set to increase almost tenfold this year, he reported last week.