The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed on Facebook that Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces, together with other Defense Forces components, struck the Russian enterprise VNDIR-Progress on the night of 9 June.

The facility produces components for Shahed drones and is located more than 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

“A military-industrial complex facility where antennas for Shaheds were manufactured has been hit. The strike on the facility by at least two UAVs and the subsequent large-scale fire have been confirmed. The results of the strike are being clarified,” the General Staff reported.

The attack occurred as part of efforts aimed at “reducing the Russian capability to manufacture means of air attack,” according to Ukrainian military officials.

The General Staff specified that VNDIR-Progress is a facility of Russian military-industrial complex that manufactures navigation equipment. The enterprise produces adaptive “Komet” antennas used in Shahed-type strike UAVs, unified planning and correction modules for guided aerial bombs, and other precision weapons.

Ukrainian forces had previously targeted four Russian airports with temporary flight restrictions on the night of 9 June, while explosions were reported in Cheboksary, the capital of the Chuvash Republic. Later reports confirmed that the drone attack in Cheboksary caused a fire at the VNDIR-Progress facility, which produces “Komet” receivers that protect Russian military drones from Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. The plant suspended operations following the strike.

A drone strike sparked a fire at a defense contractor in Cheboksary, Chuvashia Republic, forcing the facility to halt production of military equipment used by Russian forces in Ukraine.

AT “VNDIR-Progress” suspended operations after two drones struck the facility, according to Chuvash Republic head Oleg Nikolaev. The company manufactures “Kometa” satellite signal receivers that help Russian military drones evade Ukrainian electronic warfare systems, Telegram channel Astra reports.

“Two UAVs fell on the territory of AT ‘VNDIR’, which led to a decision to temporarily halt production to ensure employee safety,” Nikolaev said on Telegram. “One more drone each fell in fields of Cheboksary and Krasnoarmeysky municipal districts – there is no threat to people.”

The official made no mention of fire damage at the plant, noting only that there were no casualties and “all services are working in enhanced mode.”

However, Astra published photos and videos showing flames engulfing sections of the factory complex. The facility is located over 1,000 kilometers from Ukraine.

AT “VNDIR-Progress” operates as part of the “ABS Electro” manufacturing group. According to the company website, it develops and produces “scientific and technical products, software and hardware systems, automation and control systems, electrical products, electronic component base, electronic modules and radio-electronic products.”

Astra reports the plant specifically manufactures “Kometa/Kometa M” family satellite signal receivers for Russian armed forces. These devices enable Russian military units to circumvent Ukrainian electronic warfare capabilities.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed air defenses destroyed and intercepted 49 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft overnight. The ministry reported shooting down 13 drones each over Kursk and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts, nine each over Voronezh and Orel oblasts, two each over Bryansk Oblast and Chuvash Republic, and one over Belgorod Oblast.

On the night of 9 June, authorities imposed temporary flight restrictions at four Russian airports while explosions echoed through Cheboksary.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian truck drivers who unknowingly transported Ukrainian drones into Russia had no knowledge of their cargo’s true purpose during the large-scale attack on Russian military airfields.

Operation Spiderweb, carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service, was a large-scale surprise Ukrainian drone strike on five Russian airbases that involved 117 drones covertly smuggled into Russia and launched from hidden compartments in trucks. The attack destroyed or damaged over 40 strategic bombers, amounting to about $7 bn in losses and about one-third of Russia’s long-range strike fleet used for attacks on Ukraine.

“They didn’t know anything. They just did their job,” Zelenskyy told ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz in an exclusive interview airing on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

The drivers transported what they believed were mobile cottages and other containers, unaware that the structures contained drones equipped to assault Russian airfields and damage military hardware worth billions of dollars.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainian Security Service used exclusively domestic weapons for the operation.

“I wanted very much to use only what we produce and to have the separation [be] very clear,” the Ukrainian president said.

Operation web details

On 1 June, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted Operation Web, targeting Russian military airfields at Olenya, Belaya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo with drone strikes. The operation targeted Russian aircraft including A-50 early warning planes, Tu-95 strategic bombers, and Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers.

The operation reportedly damaged 41 Russian aircraft, representing 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at their home bases.

The operation required over 18 months of preparation, according to SBU sources. Ukrainian intelligence first smuggled FPV drones into Russia, followed by mobile wooden houses. The drones were later concealed under the roofs of these structures, which were opened remotely at the start of the operation to launch the aircraft.

Aftermath and investigation

All individuals who assisted in organizing the operation have been reportedly evacuated from Russia. However, Russian authorities have issued a warrant for 37-year-old Ukrainian-born Artem Timofeev, allegedly the owner of the trucks used to transport the drones.

The Russian Telegram channel Baza, linked to Russian law enforcement, reported interrogations of truck drivers who launched drones during the SBU’s large-scale attack on Russian airfields. The drivers reportedly believed they were transporting prefabricated houses and identified the truck owner as a man named Artem.

Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian secret services extracted all operation participants from Russian territory following the successful mission.

Russia bombs Ukrainian schools and children’s hospitals. Kyiv hits back with strikes on Moscow’s aircraft.

According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the estimated value of the aircraft destroyed or damaged during the special operation “Web” is approximately $7 billion.

The agency notes that a total of 34% of Russia’s strategic missile carriers based at their main airfields were hit in the operation. The SBU promises to release more details about the mission later.

“You thought Ukraine was that simple? Ukraine is super. Ukraine is unique. It has endured the steamrollers of history. In today’s world, it is priceless,” the SBU press service stated, quoting prominent Ukrainian writer Lina Kostenko. 

Meanwhile, CBS News reports that the White House has not been informed in advance of Ukraine’s plans to carry out a large-scale strike on Russian strategic aviation. It summarizes the day’s events and adds that White House spokespeople declined to comment on the Ukrainian strike. This information has also been confirmed by Axios, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official.

Today, there are a lot of interesting updates from the Russian Federation. Here, in the aftermath of Russia’s largest missile strike of the war, Ukraine launched a thunderous response that sent shockwaves through the Russian homeland.

As drones swarmed strategic targets and panic gripped the skies over Moscow, even Vladimir Putin found himself uncomfortably close to the line of fire.

Drone swarm sends Russian officials fleeing

Even while the 1,000 for 1,000 prisoner-of-war exchange process was taking place as agreed upon in Istanbul, the Russians launched a massive drone and missile strike campaign targeting Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure.

The Russian strike consisted of almost 300 drones and 69 guided missiles, making it the largest strike launched in a single day, with the campaign lasting over 3 days, using nearly 1,000 drones in total.

The Ukrainians responded with a massive drone strike of their own, targeting critical Russian military and economic infrastructure used for the launch of drones and missiles, as well as their production.

The intensity of the Ukrainian strike caused chaos to the point that a dozen Russian government planes, presumably with Russian government officials, flew from Moscow towards the eastern cities of Samara and Kazan, likely to evade being killed in precision strikes.

Putin’s close call in the sky

At the time of the strike, Russian President Putin was in a helicopter, likely to avoid becoming a victim of the massive Ukrainian strikes on the ground.

However, the commander of Russian air defense forces, Yuri Dashkin, confirmed that Putin was almost killed, as his helicopter ended up in the middle of the Russian effort to repulse Ukrainian drones.

Such close calls and sheer incompetence are a common occurrence, as they previously targeted and shot down not just their own fighter jets, but several civilian airliners in the past as well.

Moscow descends into panic

Another video from Moscow shows a Russian civilian jet being caught amidst the ground fire of Russian air defenses, narrowly avoiding being hit after being mistaken for a very large Ukrainian drone.

Such chaos, as well as Ukrainian strikes targeting military airfields in the area, forced the Russian government to close all airports in the Moscow area and other major cities in Russia during the day.

For the past week, the Ukrainians launched intense strikes that forced the Russian airports to keep all their civilian flights grounded.

If Ukrainians consistently force Russian civilian aviation to stay grounded, it will prevent the travel of the civilian population, on top of denying the flow and export of goods across the country.

This is why the Ukrainians were intensively conducting drone strikes to force the grounding of civilian aviation at major airports in the Moscow and Kaluga regions.

Strikes hit Russia’s military-industrial nerve

The Ukrainian drone strikes properly struck key economic and military infrastructure, including a battery factory in the city of Yelets, as confirmed by satellite footage.

The batteries produced at this plant are used for an application in the Russian military industry, including guided missiles, which could indirectly delay future Russian strikes. Furthermore, two chemical plants in the cities of Kineshma and Tula were struck by Ukrainian drones, with footage confirming the direct impact on the plants.

These chemical plants are directly tied to the Russian military industry, as they produce Nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, TNT, and RDX, which are used to produce missiles, artillery shells, and landmines. Strikes against these plants significantly disrupt Russian production of weapon systems and ammunition.

These strikes are no coincidence, as causing any disruption alleviates the pressure off of frontline Ukrainian infantrymen, as Russia prepares to go all in on the attack this summer.

On top of that, the Ukrainians struck the Skaut tractor factory in Tula, after Ukrainian Military Intelligence discovered that the factory was covertly being used to produce parts for artillery systems and logistics trucks for the Russian army.

Strategic pressure ahead of summer offensive

Overall, the largest Russian missile strike against Ukraine did not pass without an even more devastating Ukrainian retribution, which resulted in successful strikes against critical Russian military industries and the cancellation of air traffic.

Continuation of these strikes by the Ukrainians could lead to devastating blows to the Russian wartime industry, which could consequently weaken the Russian capability to conduct intense assaults during their planned summer offensive.

In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Ukrainian drones attacked a drone development facility in Dubna, a city in the Moscow Oblast, according to Russian Telegram channels Astra and Baza citing local residents.

Social media videos show drones flying over Dubna and explosions with fires after impact. Local residents in the footage say “Kronshtadt got hit again.”

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted 17 messages about drone attacks since the start of the day. He said air defenses destroyed at least 31 drones heading toward the Russian capital.

Sobyanin also reported repelling drone attacks on Zelenograd. The official said that both Moscow and Zelenograd had “no serious damage or casualties” and that “emergency services specialists are working at the debris impact sites.”

Dubna is known as a “science city.” The city sits 121 kilometers north of Moscow in the Moscow Oblast.

Russia’s Defense Ministry later claimed that from 9 pm on 27 May to 7 am on 28 May, air defenses allegedly destroyed and intercepted 296 Ukrainian drones over Moscow region and 12 other Russian oblasts including Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Orel, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver and Tula.

The Russian defense ministry reported neither the total number of drones allegedly flying toward Russian territory nor the consequences of attacks.

Earlier, Moscow’s mayor announced drone attacks on Russia’s capital. Moscow and other Russian airports suspended operations during the incident.

The Russian Defense Ministry previously claimed that on the evening of 27 May, from 9 pm to midnight Moscow time, their air defenses allegedly intercepted and destroyed 112 Ukrainian drones.

Ukraine has been conducting an air campaign against Russian strategic targets such as ammunition depots, command centers, military factories, oil processing and storage facilities, but rarely comments of the attacks.