Ukrainian drones struck a munitions factory in central Russia in an overnight attack, a source in Ukraine’s SBU Security Service told Reuters on Saturday.
The attack on the Aleksinsky chemical plant, which produces gunpowder, ammunition and weapons in the Tula region about 200 km (120 miles) south of Moscow, was part of a strategy to target factories that support Moscow’s war against Ukraine, the source said.
As the war against Russia approaches its 1,000-day mark, Ukraine is on the back foot on the battlefield against its larger and better-equipped foe.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Russian troops are steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region, slicing through Ukrainian defence lines and wiping out towns and villages there with guided air bombs and artillery.
The Ukrainian General Staff said on Saturday that the frontline situation was complicated, reporting more than 170 combat clashes in the past 24 hours, the majority in the east.
Ukrainian officials say strikes against military facilities, warehouses, and airfields in Russia would disrupt Moscow troops’ logistics and supplies and help turn the war in Ukraine’s favour.
Since September, Ukraine has struck several ammunition warehouses in Russia with Ukrainian-produced long-range drones, according to Ukrainian security officials.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly urged Kyiv’s Western partners to supply more long-range missiles and lift restrictions on using them to hit targets deep inside Russia.