Ukrainian drones targeted Russia’s Tatarstan overnight on 10 June, with explosions heard and drones seen in the cities of Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk — over 1,200 km from Ukraine’s border. Russian authorities responded by grounding flights at multiple airports and expanding penalties for publishing drone strike footage.

Drone strikes target Tatarstan and beyond

According to reports from Russian Telegram channels including Astra and Mash, explosions were heard in Nizhnekamsk, as the Ukrainian Liutyi drones were spotted there, and in Tatarstan’s Yelabuga. Eyewitnesses cited by Mash claimed the drones were flying north, toward areas with suspected drone factories.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ also shared last night’s footage featuring the sound of a massive explosion, head in Russia’s Tver, and of a drone fly-by in Saratov.

Local residents captured the moment when air defense missiles failed to intercept a fixed-wing drone flying over Tatarstan’s Nizhnekamsk. 

The Shahed-manufacturing facility in Yelabuga was last targeted by Ukrainian drones in late May and, earlier, in April.

Drones hit Russia’s Shahed drone factory 1,200 km from Ukraine again

Russian MoD claims widespread drone interceptions

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that between 21:50 and 23:55 Moscow time on 9 June, Russian air defense destroyed 76 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones: 46 over Bryansk Oblast, 16 over Belgorod Oblast, 2 each over Oryol and Kaluga oblasts, and 1 over Voronezh Oblast, and 9 over occupied Crimea.

In the next morning update, the Russian MoD claimed a total of 102 UAVs were intercepted overnight, including drones over Moscow, Tatarstan, and other regions.

The Leningrad Oblast governor, Aleksandr Drozdenko, stated a drone was allegedly shot down over Tosnensky District. He also reported restrictions on mobile and internet access in several areas. He also said internet and mobile communication restrictions were imposed in places.

Flight disruptions across multiple Russian cities

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, temporarily restricted take-offs and landings at airports in Nizhnekamsk, Pulkovo in St. Petersburg, Izhevsk, Kirov, and all Moscow airports.

Artem Korenyako of Rosaviatsiya noted the suspensions were imposed at the height of the drone threat, and that safety protocols such as the standard plan Kovyor, grounding all civilian aviation, were enacted in multiple cities.

Russia enacts regional bans on sharing drone strike data

Russian officials have imposed fines and restrictions on publishing any materials about drone strikes. Kommersant reports that regional governments have introduced penalties ranging from administrative fines to criminal prosecution.

In some instances, the fines — ranging from 3,000 to 200,000 rubles ($40–$2,550) — were issued to residents who shared videos or comments on social media. Media outlets, Telegram channel admins, and social media users have also been targeted. Repeat violations can lead to up to three years in prison.

On 27 May, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 99 Ukrainian drones between 20:00 on 26 May and 07:00 on 27 May. Despite these efforts, several airports in Russia were temporarily closed as a result of the ongoing drone strikes. Local sources confirmed air defense activity, but there were no immediate reports of damage from the attack.

Drone attacks hit Tula and Voronezh oblasts, explosions reported

Drone strikes targeted several Russian regions overnight, including the Tula and Voronezh oblasts. Explosions were reported in the cities of Novomoskovsk and Uzlovaya in Tula, as well as in Borisoglebsk in Voronezh. Also, one drone being shot down was captured on video in Murom.

Local residents described hearing multiple explosions, with flashes visible in the sky. Russian officials from Tula and Voronezh stated that over 20 drones were detected over four municipalities in Voronezh, with debris from one downed drone sparking a forest fire in the east of the oblast. The fire was quickly extinguished, according to regional authorities.

Russian airports close as a result of the drone threat

In response to the drone attack, airports in several Russian regions were temporarily closed for safety. The Russian authorities imposed restrictions on civilian air traffic in airports located in Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Tambov. However, by the morning of 27 May, air traffic in Saratov resumed as the restrictions were lifted.

The Russian aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, confirmed that safety measures were taken across several airports.

Overnight on 26 May, a drone strike reportedly hit the NPO Splav facility in Tula, Russia, 340 km from Ukraine, marking the second such attack on the plant this month. The factory produces rockets and Tornado-S multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), heavy “flamethrower” systems (TOS), and guided and unguided aviation rockets.

Ukrainian Telegram channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+ shared footage, published by local residents, showing the moment of the explosion, which took place last night. A woman in the video says “It flies again,” referring to a drone, and then after the distant explosion add, “It’s at the plant.”

Referring to the Ukrainian open-source intelligence (OSINT) community Kyberboroshno, Militarnyi noted that the same workshop was previously struck on 7 April 2025.

Currently, the extent of the damage remains unknown.the extent of the damage remains unknown.

Attempted geolocation

Using video and image analysis, Kyberboroshno geolocated the impact site to coordinates, stating that the explosion occurred on the premises of the same enterprise.

Meanwhile, Supernova+ published its geolocation analysis suggesting other target of the drone attack – the military storage base (military unit 21317) or the 1060th Central Material and Technical Supply Base (military unit 55443-16). This assessment contradicts the eyewitness’s comment in the video, which indicates that the explosion occurred at the plant.

Russian news Telegram channel Astra stated that NASA satellites did not detect fires in the Splav area. However, this report is irrelevant, because NASA FIRMS had already recorded thermal anomalies there in previous days, likely linked to industrial activity — making it impossible to single out fires caused by the drone strike amid numerous existing industrial hotspots.

Third attack on Splav this month

If confirmed, this may have been the third drone attack on NPO Splav in May 2025. The plant was previously hit on 7 May and again overnight on 22 May, when a functioning workshop caught fire. A substation also reportedly caught fire during that attack.