Drone attack hits Russia’s Kazan aircraft factory, suspends local airport operations

On the night of January 20, several powerful explosions rocked the Russian city of Kazan in the Republic of Tatarstan, where a threat of a UAV attack had been previously announced. The city's airport suspended operations, and debris from the blasts started a fire at the facility.

Russian publications and public forums, as well as Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of the Kaluga region of the Russian Federation, reported this.

Russian Telegram channels claim that Ukraine's armed forces allegedly used a "Liutyi" aircraft-type drone to target factories in Kazan.

Eyewitnesses allegedly saw one of them in the Aviation Industry District.

The publication claims that residents of Kazan's two districts —Novo-Savinovsky and Aviation Industry District—heard explosions.

At the same time, Rosaviatsia reported that the Kazan airport is temporarily closed for aircraft reception and departure.

Later reports from various sources indicated a new series of explosions in different parts of Kazan, Russia.

Also, in Russia, the following airports were announced to be suspended:

• Nizhnaya Kama (Tatarstan),
• Izhevsk (Udmurtia Republic).

In the morning, the governor of the Kaluga region of the Russian Federation, Vladislav Shapsha, reported that the air defense destroyed:

• Two UAVs in the evening,
• Four more drones at night – in Kaluga and the Babininsky district.

"On the outskirts of Kaluga, debris from a UAV fell on the grounds of a business. Emergency services quickly put out a small fire that broke out. Preliminary reports indicate there are no injuries or damage," the head of the region said.

Also in the morning, the Astra Telegram channel reported that drones attacked the Kazan Gorbunov Aircraft Plant. It is alleged that one of the drones hit an empty tank on the plant's territory.

For reference:

The Kazan Aviation Plant, named after S. P. Gorbunov, is a branch of PJSC Tupolev and one of the largest enterprises in Russia's aviation industry. It was established in 1932.

The plant produces strategic Tu-160 bombers and civilian Tu-204 airliners. It's situated in the eastern part of Kazan's Aviation District and features a factory airfield, "Borysoglebskoye," near the city limits.

In December 2023, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the plant came under sanctions from the European Union countries because it "manufactures and repairs strategic Tu-160 missile carriers and long-range Tu-22M3M/Tu-22M3 bombers, which the Russian Air Force uses during the aggressive war against Ukraine".

The Ukrainian Defense Forces continue active operations on the territory of the Russian Federation, inflicting fire damage on the key military infrastructure of the enemy.

Thus, on December 10, unknown strike drones attacked a military airfield in the Saratov region.

On the night of October 20, a powerful strike was carried out on the military airfield "Lipetsk-2" in the Lipetsk region of the Russian Federation.

Additionally, on the night of November 26, strike drones targeted various areas in the Russian Federation, including the Kursk, Lipetsk, Belgorod, and Oryol regions. An airfield housing Ka-52 helicopters in the Rostov region was also attacked.

Furthermore, on October 3, drones attacked an airfield in the Voronezh region, where Russian warehouses containing guided aerial bombs and parking areas for Su-35 and Su-34 aircraft are located. Photos and videos showing the aftermath of the attack were published online.

On the night of August 14, Russia was massively attacked by drones. Even though the Russian Defense Ministry reported the so-called "destruction" of 117 drones in eight regions of the aggressor country, the so-called Russian military sources wrote about three Russian airfields that were under attack.

Then, the airfields "Voronezh," "Kursk," "Savasleyka," and "Borisoglebsk" were attacked.