Long-range Ukrainian missiles have hit a major military center inside Russia that houses Vladimir Putin’s “Flying Kremlin” apocalyptic plane.
The attacks hit Taganrog, a city of about a quarter of a million people in the Rostov region, causing ten loud explosions and bright flashes.
Initial reports said there were two possible targets: the Beriev Aircraft Company, which maintains some of Putin’s most important aircraft, and the Krasny Hydropress plant, which makes key missile elements and is part of the Russian Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation. Russia.
Putin’s Ilyushin Il-80 Maxdome aircraft, for use in nuclear war, is kept at the Beriev plant.
It also equips Russian A-50 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) spy planes, two of which have been shot down in the war at a cost of £260 million each.
A large number of fire trucks were reported heading to the plant and locals heard at least ten explosions.
The extent of the damage is unclear, but 14 cars parked at the facility, also known as the Beriev Aviation Technical and Scientific Complex, were set on fire.
Some Russian sources said Ukraine had used its new domestically-made Palyanitsa missiles to attack Taganrog, but this was not confirmed.
Other reports claimed that US-supplied ATACMS missiles had been used. Russia has repeatedly warned that Ukraine’s use of weapons to attack its territory risks triggering a wider war.
Putin’s Ilyushin Il-80 Maxdome aircraft, for use in nuclear war, is kept at the Beriev plant
The Beriev Aircraft Company, which maintains some of Putin’s most important aircraft, was a possible target of the attack.
The loading point of the Druzhba pipeline in the village of Sven near Bryansk reportedly caught fire overnight
Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said: “The damaged area has been cordoned off by police officers.
“A study of the territory will be carried out within a radius of one kilometer.”
The acting governor of the Rostov region, Yuriy Slyusar, admitted that an industrial enterprise was damaged, but did not give details.
‘According to preliminary information, no one was injured. “The extent of the damage is becoming clear,” he said.
During the attack, 27 blocks of flats were reportedly plunged into the cold after a hot water and heating supply facility was attacked.
The aircraft plant is considered crucial to Putin’s war effort, as it overhauls aircraft used by the air force and navy, as well as special-purpose aircraft such as the Il-80 Maxdome and A airborne early warning and control aircraft. -50.
Separately, a major oil production facility caught fire in the Bryansk border region in another Ukrainian attack.
The loading point of the Druzhba pipeline in the village of Sven, near Bryansk, reportedly caught fire.
Videos showed a giant explosion and a fireball, and the ASTRA Telegram channel said a refinery had been hit and showed flames leaping into the sky.
Videos showed a giant explosion and a fireball, and the ASTRA Telegram channel said a refinery had been hit and showed flames leaping into the sky.
Ten attack drones took part in the attacks on the Bryansk region
Some reports suggest that last night’s fire in Bryansk occurred after an attack on a nearby production facility.
Ten attack drones were reported to have participated in strikes in the Bryansk region.
The Druzhba pipeline is critical for Russia’s oil supply to Europe and is still partially operational despite Western sanctions over the war.
The Soviet-built pipeline pumps oil from fields in Western Siberia and the Caspian Sea to markets in Europe.
It passes through the Bryansk region, as does the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS) that reaches the Baltic Sea.
The Druzhba pipeline is critical for Russia’s oil supply to Europe (Hungary pictured)
Some reports suggest that last night’s fire occurred after an attack on a nearby production facility.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense units destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones overnight over the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine. He did not say what was hit.
Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on his Telegram channel that a production facility suffered a brief fire as a result of the attack. He did not say which facility was damaged.
The Ukrainian military said in a statement that it had caused a “massive fire” at an oil depot with an attack in the Bryansk region.