Ukraine targets key Russian drone infrastructure in bold strike
Ukrainian forces have attacked the sole factory in Russia responsible for producing fibre optic cables essential for the operation of drones used by the Russian army, according to the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its latest analysis.
FPV (first-person view) fibre optic drones are equipped with a fibre optic cable wound onto a spool, which unwinds during flight to maintain a connection between the machine and the operator. This technology renders the drones resistant to military devices that track radio-electronic waves, although they exhibit less manoeuvrability and are more prone to connectivity loss. Drones of this type are employed in combat by both Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine attacked the Russian fibre optic factory
The head of the Ukrainian government's Centre for Counteracting Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, reported on Saturday that "unidentified drones" struck a fibre optic systems factory in Saransk, the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, located about 500 miles from Russia's border with Ukraine. Kovalenko stated that the enterprise produces materials for control systems, communications, and data transmission, including drone control.
Video footage published on social media on Saturday shows a significant explosion and fire in Saransk.
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that Russian forces shot down three drones over the Republic of Mordovia during the night from Friday to Saturday, and the region's head, Artyom Zdunov, confirmed a drone strike on the enterprise.
ISW noted that it is unable to verify the extent of the damage at the factory in Saransk. However, it added that successful Ukrainian attacks on the enterprise would likely limit the Russian army's capabilities in providing soldiers with the fibre optics used by drones.
Ukrainian General Staff: we do not attack Russian energy infrastructure
Ukraine does not attack Russian energy infrastructure; it is Russia that shells Ukraine's infrastructure and endangers its civilian population, declared the General Staff in Kyiv on Saturday in response to Moscow's accusations that the Ukrainian side is violating the ceasefire agreement by targeting energy facilities.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian army has recently targeted Ukraine with 92 unmanned aerial vehicles, dropped 171 guided aerial bombs, and employed artillery 6,353 times.
As a result of the enemy's insidious attacks, civilian and critical infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, and other regions of Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff stated.
