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.

A drone strike reportedly hit the Shahed drone factory in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, marking another attack on a key military facility located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone. The plant produces Shahed-type kamikaze drones used in daily attacks against Ukraine and has previously been struck multiple times since its construction in 2023.

Russian news Telegram channel Astra reported the attack around 23:15 on 25 May:

“In Tatarstan, a drone attack is presumed, according to channels from the city of Yelabuga,” Astra wrote.

Militarnyi says the first explosions were registered around 22:40 and were initially linked to Russian air defense activity. Then explosions of unknown origin were heard in the area of the Shahed factory. Footage recorded by local residents shows the trail of a surface-to-air missile launched from the area of the facility.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Exillenova+ claimed that, preliminarily, there were several impacts at different points of the plant, based on geolocation of available footage.

As of this morning, Tatarstan authorities have issued no official statements regarding the outcomes or consequences of the strike. At the time of reporting, no official Ukrainian statements on the attack had been released, and the extent of the damage remains unknown.

During the drone attack, the Nizhnekamsk airport in Tatarstan was temporarily closed, as noted by Astra.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that a total of 96 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed over Russia overnight, including one in Tatarstan.

Previous attacks on Shahed factory

The drone plant previously faced attacks on 23 April 2025. The first drone strike on the Shahed factory occurred in April 2024. The earlier attacks featured insignificant damage to nearby infrastructure, such as a two-story building, reportedly part of a hostel for workers in the Alabuga economic zone.