The Penza drone attack hit deep inside Russia overnight on 31 July, igniting a major fire at a factory that produces equipment for the Russian military. Regional authorities confirmed a large fire at the plant after residents posted videos of drones flying low over the city. The factory is more than 600 km from Ukraine.

Penza drone attack hits a factory producing military systems

Telegram channels reported that in the early hours of 31 July, Ukrainian long-range strike drones flew over Penza and attacked an industrial site. Local residents filmed the drones passing over houses, followed by several explosions and a fire in the industrial zone. Mobile internet was shut down during the air alert.

Penza Oblast governor Oleg Melnichenko admitted in the morning that a drone attack caused a fire at one of the industrial facilities.

“There are no casualties and no destruction. There is a fire on the territory of the enterprise, which is now being eliminated,” he wrote.

Local reports and Russia’s official version

The Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine identified the target as the Radioworks factory in Penza, an important enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex.

Melnichenko wrote that the fire began after an overnight drone attack and that damage control continued in the morning. Social media videos posted from Penza show columns of smoke rising above the factory buildings and the sound of explosions in the distance.

In its daily report, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that its forces allegedly shot down 32 drones in five Russian oblasts and in Russian-occupied Crimea during the night. The ministry did not list Penza Oblast among those locations.

As of the morning, local officials reported that firefighting operations continued at the industrial site. No casualties have been confirmed. The strike reached deep into Russian territory, underlining the range of Ukrainian drone operations.