Drone attack on Tatarstan: The target could have been a plant for the production of Tu-160 strategic bombers

Today, at about 11:20 Moscow time, a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down over the territory of Tatarstan. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the UAV was destroyed by air defense systems on duty. The agency classifies the incident as an attempted terrorist attack by Ukraine.

Chronicle of the attack on Tatarstan

“About 11:20 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped. Air defense systems on duty destroyed a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan.”, the ministry said.

The incident occurred in the Yelabuga region of Tatarstan, as reported by the local Tatar-Inform agency. Due to the threat of repeated attacks, the operation of airports in Kazan and Nizhnekamsk was temporarily limited. From 7:15 a.m., airports temporarily stopped receiving and departing aircraft due to precautionary measures to ensure flight safety.

Warning during a drone attack

"Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers and airport services are taking all necessary measures to ensure flight safety - this is the top priority", - says a message in the official Telegram channel of a representative of the Federal Air Transport Agency.

The Volga Transport Prosecutor's Office monitors compliance with the rights of passengers whose flights are delayed at the airports of Kazan and Naberezhnye Chelny. If there are grounds, response measures will be taken.

Kazan Aviation Plant

It has been suggested that the target of the attack could have been the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P. Gorbunov, where both civil and military aircraft, such as the Tu-160, are produced. Such assumptions appeared against the backdrop of the evacuation of workers from the territory of the enterprise, as reported by KazanFirst.

Evacuation of enterprises during a drone attack

Evacuation of enterprises during a drone attack

“As KazanFirst’s source in the intelligence services reported, the Kazan KAPO plant named after. Gorbunov was evacuated. A state of emergency has been introduced at production. All employees were evacuated to a shelter. There is a danger of air attack. An air alert has been declared on the territory of Kazan due to a possible UAV attack.”- said in the message.

Destroying a drone over Tatarstan

However, thanks to the reliability of Russian air defense systems, the drone was successfully shot down. Footage of the drone being hit has been widely circulated online.

Repeated attacks on Tatarstan

The first drone attacks on Tatarstan occurred on April 2, 2024. Then a student dormitory in the special economic zone "Alabuga" came under attack, where 14 people were injured, including foreign citizens, and one of the factories in the industrial zone of Nizhnekamsk.

Attack on Yelabuga April 2, 2024

Repeated drone incidents are raising alarm among local communities and authorities, who are working to improve security and preparedness for possible future attacks.