Ukrainian long-range drones reached the Ural Mountains for the first time during the night of Friday-Saturday, marking a record-breaking mission that bypassed Russian air defenses for over 10 hours.
Serhii Sternenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on drone efficiency, confirmed the strikes, noting that the drones traveled more than 1,800 km from the Ukrainian border.
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In Yekaterinburg, Russian electronic warfare (EW) reportedly diverted a drone into a residential building, injuring six people.
Meanwhile in Chelyabinsk, explosions targeted the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant and the Chelyabinsk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators (ChVVAKUSH). Local reports indicated at least two direct hits on the territory of the flight school, which trains crews involved in strikes against Ukrainian cities.
The raid triggered “drone danger” protocols across the region, leading to flight restrictions at airports in Perm, Chelyabinsk, and Tobolsk.
Russian military bloggers expressed frustration over the lack of air defense activity during the drones’ 10-hour flight path. “This is not the limit,” Sternenko emphasized, suggesting further increases in strike range.
This expansion of Ukraine’s aerial campaign follows a series of successful strikes on Russia’s energy sector. On April 22, the Tuapse and Novokuibyshevsk oil refineries, owned by Rosneft, were forced to halt operations after coordinated drone attacks.
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