Drones hit Russian aviation plant in Taganrog

Explosions resonated through the night in the Russian city of Taganrog, with the potential target being a local aviation plant specifically engaged in the repair of A-50 aircraft, Rostov Oblast governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram on March 9.

Russian authorities claimed the Ukrainian drones carried out the attack. Russian air defense systems allegedly repelled the attack, said Golubev. One Emergency Situations Ministry worker sustained injuries during ground aftermath operations.

Read also: Ukrainian Air Force attacks Russian planes from a distance of more than 150 km

The PJSC Beriev Aircraft Company, involved in repairing A-50 AEW&C aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces, might have been affected, local Telegram channels said. Russian military bloggers speculate that the aviation plant was the target of a widespread attack.

Ukrainian special forces conducted a successful operation in Taganrog, targeting the local aircraft manufacturing plant with drones, Serhiy Bratchuk, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army South said on Telegram on March 9.

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“Perhaps the most interesting is the modernization of the A-50 to A-50U, the same highly expensive and crucial aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces, two of which have already been shot down,” Bratchuk said.

“Such powerful strikes can seriously impede the operation of the plant, and for quite a long time.”

Read also: Airforce attrition halves intensity of Russian air strikes — Ukrainian military

A big number of drones with explosive payloads hit the workshops of the plant, causing a fire he said.

“Whether it has been extinguished at this time is unknown,” Bratchuk said.

“Whether the A-50U nearby was affected is also unknown, but the geolocation of at least one video is known, showing a flash from a drone strike either on the assembly shop or workshop No. 3. However, there were several hits, not just one or two, significantly more. This is an incredibly successful operation using kamikaze drones within the territory of the Russian Federation.”

Ukrainian forces have already destroyed two A-50 aircraft since the beginning of 2024. The cost of one such aircraft is over $350 million.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine