Ukraine said its strikes damaged a Russian military airfield and a rocket production facility in Samara, which Kyiv says is linked to Russia’s developing satellite internet network, Rassvet, an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Flamingo missiles struck the rocket production facility, located about 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
He said the strikes were part of Kyiv’s efforts to put pressure on Moscow to end the war, which has now lasted more than four years, by targeting infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Zelenskyy said, “It is necessary to reduce Russia’s ability to continue the war. Peace is needed, and this must be felt inside Russia through the destruction of certain infrastructure.”
He added that the airfield targeted in the strikes was being used to station aircraft involved in attacks against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s General Staff said the strikes hit an airfield in the Nizhny Novgorod region and the Progress facility, which manufactures rockets and aerospace equipment, in the Samara region. It added that the attacks sparked fires at both locations.
Ukraine said the Samara facility produces rockets used to launch satellites for Rassvet, a satellite-based internet network that Russia is developing as an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Starlink is widely used in Ukraine but is not available in Russia. The system has given Kyiv a significant advantage in drone operations and battlefield communications.
Authorities in Nizhny Novgorod did not confirm the reported attack on the airfield. In Samara, local officials said air-defense forces had repelled a “massive missile attack.”
The governor of Samara initially said a missile had struck unspecified industrial facilities. Seven hours later, he said emergency services were still assessing the consequences of the attack.
The Progress facility has played an important role in both Soviet and Russian space programs.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that over the previous 24 hours, its drones, missiles and artillery had struck Ukrainian transport, oil, energy and other infrastructure, as well as facilities assembling long-range attack drones and unmanned boats.
