Ukraine launched a significant overnight assault targeting Russian infrastructure, including a vital rocket and space plant located over 500 miles from its border, according to reports. The strikes also hit the Savasleyka military airfield, a base for Russian fighter jets, and an oil facility in Ust-Luga.
Ivan Noskov, the head of the regional capital Samara, stated that air defenses had repelled a "massive attack," but acknowledged that "Samara's industrial infrastructure sustained localised damage." He indicated there were casualties and that he was coordinating with enterprise management and emergency services.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the TsSKB-Progress complex in Samara engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing. This facility is described as the primary production center for Russia's Soyuz-2 rockets and is involved in the development of Earth-observation and military spacecraft. The attack may have aimed to disrupt the launch of Rassvet satellites, which Russia is reportedly fast-tracking to provide secure internet for troops and drones, serving as an alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink system for Russian forces.
The strike on the Progress plant, reportedly carried out with FP-5 Flamingo missiles from a distance of approximately 750 miles, represents a substantial development, showcasing the capability of Ukrainian-made missiles to inflict damage on key Russian military-industrial assets. The Flamingo missile is a jet-powered cruise missile with a reported range of 1,860 miles and a one-ton warhead.
Separately, a missile struck the military airfield in Savasleyka, Nizhny Novgorod region, where loud explosions were reportedly heard. This airfield is known to host Russia's MiG-31K aircraft, which have been deployed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles against Ukraine. Reports suggest Ukraine may be facing a shortage of U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense missiles, which are considered capable of countering Khinzhal ballistic missile strikes.
Further strikes were reported against Russian Iskander missile launch sites near Balaclava in occupied Crimea, with fires visible early in the day.
Amid these Ukrainian strikes on military targets, Russia reportedly continued its attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine. A three-month-old boy was killed and at least a dozen people were injured in an attack on Marganets, in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, where a four-story residential building was hit. Among the injured were two children, a five-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. This occurred as Ukrainian forces have reportedly pushed Russian military units out of most of the Dnipropetrovsk region following a seven-month counteroffensive, although Kyiv has not formally declared the region entirely cleared.