Ukraine says long-range strikes hit a Russian military airfield and the Progress rocket and space centre on Saturday, with Kyiv linking the Samara region plant to Russia's Starlink-style satellite internet project. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Flamingo cruise missiles struck the rocket facility as part of a campaign to hit sites deep inside Russia, while Moscow reported repelling the attack and separately said it struck Ukrainian logistics and drone infrastructure over the same 24 hours.
Ukraine's General Staff said direct hits landed at a Russian military airfield in the Nizhny Novgorod region and at the Progress rocket and space centre in the Samara region, sparking fires at both sites. Zelenskiy said Flamingo cruise missiles hit the rocket facility, about 900 km (560 miles) from Ukraine's border, calling it part of Kyiv's campaign to pressure Moscow by damaging sites deep inside Russian territory. He said the airfield hosted aircraft used in attacks on Ukraine.
Rocket centre tied to Starlink rival
The General Staff said the Samara plant produces rockets that launch satellites for Rassvet, the broadband network Russia is developing as an alternative to SpaceX's Starlink. Starlink operates in Ukraine but not in Russia, and it has given Kyiv an edge in drone operations and battlefield communications. The Progress centre has also played a central role in the Soviet and Russian space programs, including production of the Soyuz family of rockets.
There was no confirmation of the airfield strike from authorities in Nizhny Novgorod. In the Samara region, officials said air defenses had repelled a massive missile attack, though local accounts of the damage shifted through the day. Samara's governor said overnight that a missile had struck an unidentified industrial facility, and seven hours later, at around 1215 local time, he said emergency crews were still working the site without giving further details. Ivan Noskov, head of the regional capital, said "Samara's industrial infrastructure sustained localised damage" in an online post, without specifying which site was hit.
Moscow reports strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure
Russia's defence ministry said its drones, missiles and artillery struck Ukrainian logistics centres and fuel, energy and transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army over the past 24 hours, along with assembly workshops for long-range drones and drone boats. A long-range drone storage facility in Ukraine's Chernihiv region was among the targets hit, the ministry said. Reuters could not independently verify either side's reports.
The exchange comes more than four years into Russia's full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022. Battlefield advances have slowed across much of the front this year, according to analysts, though Russian forces continue to press toward key cities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Both sides have stepped up long-range strikes on a range of targets in recent months.
Source: Investing.com
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