Ukraine hits Volgograd industrial plant; Russian drone kills one
Ukraine struck a major industrial facility in the Russian city of Volgograd on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as a Russian drone attack overnight killed a man in Ukraine's north-eastern Sumy region.
Kyiv has intensified its long-range strikes on Russian military-industrial and energy infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Moscow's war effort, reduce its revenue and bring the impact of the conflict closer to the Russian public.
Zelenskyy has said the campaign is intended to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiations. Western officials and analysts say the attacks have disrupted Russian fuel supplies and military logistics, hampering Moscow's battlefield operations.
Writing on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's FP-5 Flamingo missiles struck the Titan-Barrikady plant in Volgograd, describing it as a major industrial complex that manufactures artillery systems and specialised military equipment, including components for missile launchers.
Ukraine's General Staff said the facility produces equipment for missile systems, including self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles for the Iskander-M missile system, which it said Russia frequently uses to attack Ukrainian cities.
Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed that an industrial facility in the city's Krasnooktyabrsky district had come under attack. He said 10 people were injured and taken to hospital, while production facilities were damaged. He did not identify the company involved.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) also said Ukrainian forces had struck an oil pumping station in Russia's Vladimir region that supplies fuel to Moscow, marking the second attack on the facility this month.
The strikes followed what appeared to be one of Ukraine's largest drone assaults since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that air defences had intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones targeting 12 Russian regions, Russian-occupied Crimea and surrounding waters overnight.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy said he had ordered "a 40-day influence operation", apparently referring to an intensified campaign of attacks aimed at compelling Russia to end the war after a year of unsuccessful US-led peace efforts.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine's Sumy region, a 66-year-old man was killed after a Russian drone struck a private home overnight, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said.