UAVs strike covert drone factory and military arsenal in Russian regions

On the evening of November 20, unknown drones attacked many areas of the Russian Federation. The Belgorod region witnessed a strike on a clandestine factory that produces drones for the Russian military. In contrast, the Novgorod region was targeted with an attack on a military arsenal stocked with ammunition.

The governors of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, and the Novgorod region, Andrey Nikitin, reported this.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that 20 UAVs were "intercepted or destroyed" over the Novgorod region overnight. There were 44 of them in total. In addition to the Novgorod region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian air defense shot down:

• Five drones over Kursk,
• Four over Orel,
• 3 each over Belgorod, Tula, and Tver regions,
• Two each over Bryansk, Moscow, and Smolensk regions.

Novgorod region

As usual, local authorities announced a "repulsed UAV attack" and no casualties or injuries.

"Over the Novgorod region, the air defense forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense detected and destroyed several unmanned aerial vehicles. Law enforcement and security structures are working on the spot. There are no casualties or injuries," Nikitin wrote at about 2 a.m. Kyiv time.

The Russian independent publication ASTRA, citing residents, announced a strike on the Russian Defense Ministry's 13th Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU), located in the village of Kotovo.

"The 13th GRAU arsenal was attacked at night in the village of Kotovo, Novgorod Region, residents report," the report said.

The article highlighted photos and videos from Kotovo, situated in the Okulovsky district of the Novgorod region, which were posted in local chat rooms on the evening of November 20.

"The video depicts explosions, gunfire, and flares. Residents in the area are stating that the assault was targeted at a nearby military base. Kotovo is said to have hangars housing ammunition for the 13th GRAU arsenal," ASTRA reported.

Meanwhile, Andrii Kovalenko, who heads the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that the 13th arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate was targeted in an attack near the village of Kotovo, Russia.

There were stored shells for barrel artillery, mines for mortars, missiles for the Grad, Smerch, and Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems, Iskander missiles, North Korean KN23 missiles, anti-aircraft missiles for the S-300 and S-400, and ammunition for the Tor complex.

The Russian Telegram channel Astra, citing the administration of the Kotovo rural settlement, wrote that the village's residents were evacuated after the attack.

Belgorod region

According to Gladkov, several drones were shot down over the Alekseyevskiy district. Their debris fell on the territory of one of the enterprises in Alekseyevka, where production facilities were damaged.

Furthermore, damage was reported to an infrastructure facility and a power line. This has left residents on multiple streets without electricity. However, the governor has reassured that no one was harmed.

The head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Andrii Kovalenko, said that in the Belgorod region, an EFKO plant that publicly produces food products but, in fact, also produces cargo drones used by the Russian army.

Warning: The video contains profanity.

Local Telegram channels published videos of drone explosions in the Belgorod region.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense has announced that the command post of the Russian "North" group of troops in Gubkin, Belgorod region, has been defeated. Witnesses in the city reported seeing dense smoke and hearing explosions.

The intelligence did not mention the exact timing and weaponry used in the attack.