A series of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) strikes targeted many areas in the Russian Federation, including the city of Izhevsk, more than 1,300km from the Ukrainian border. This information was confirmed by Russian officials and many local Telegram channels.
In Izhevsk City, residents reported hearing an explosion in the early morning of July 1. The authorities later confirmed that there was a UAV attack on a facility in the city. Alexander Brechalov, head of the Russian Federation's Udmurt Republic, said emergency forces were present at the scene and would provide further information in the coming time.
Andrii Kovalenko, a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said Izhevsk was the location of the Kupol Power Plant - a unit that produces Harpy-A1 attack UAVs and Tor air defense systems.
After the incident, Mr. Brechalov announced that there were casualties, including those killed and those seriously injured, but did not give a specific number. Izhevsk Airport has suspended all flights to and from.
Izhevsk was attacked by UAVs on November 17, 2024, causing damage to a Russian military air defense and radar factory. This is one of the first attacks by Ukrainian UAVs on the area since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the country's air defense system intercepted 60 Ukrainian UAVs overnight, including 17 shot down in the Crimean Peninsula, 16 in Rostov province, 11 in the Azov Sea, and the remaining UAVs intercepted in Kursk, Saratov, Belgorod,voronezh, Oryol and the Black Sea.
In Crimea, explosions were recorded near the town of Kurortne in the city of Kerch - where it is believed to have been deployed with the S-300/S-400 surface-to-air missile system and Russian radar stations. A monitoring team using satellite data from NASA said there was a major fire in the area at night, but there was no official confirmation of the damage to the air defense facility.
People in Kerch and Feodosia recorded explosions from 0:20 to 0:50 a.m. Ukraine has not yet issued a statement accepting responsibility, and the Ukrainian military intelligence agency has not yet commented on the series of attacks.
