KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian drone has struck a key weapons depot in Russia, the Ukrainian military said Wednesday, three weeks after another drone blew up a major Russian arsenal and three days after a drone struck a key oil terminal in Russian-held area had entered. Crimea.
Tuesday evening’s attack targeted an arsenal in Russia’s border area near Bryansk that was storing rockets and artillery ammunition, including some supplied by North Korea, a statement from Ukraine’s General Staff said.
Hugely powerful glide bombs that have terrorized civilian areas of Ukraine and crushed the defenses of the Ukrainian army were also kept in the arsenal, located 115 kilometers (70 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and some of the ammunition was left in the open saved, it said.
“Attacking such arsenals creates serious logistical problems for the Russian military, significantly reducing its offensive capabilities,” the statement said.
Russia is spending huge amounts of ammunition as it takes advantage of artillery shells felt on the battlefield in a war of attrition that approaches its thousand-day milestone next month.
The slow but relentless advance into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region is straining Ukraine’s resources, just as some of Kiev’s key Western partners are distracted by domestic concerns and wars in the Middle East.
Ukraine is building its own arms industry, and authorities have identified drones as an important aspect of that.
“One of the most important areas identified are drones for our military, and this should be an offer that not only constantly increases in volume, but also evolves and develops in accordance with the demands of the war,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late in a video speech. Tuesday about weapons production.
The Russian military has also improved the capabilities of its drones and expanded their use.
Russian drones targeted Ukraine’s southern Odesa region for a third night in a row on Tuesday, wounding five people, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.
However, Ukrainian air defenses have proven resilient against drones. Ukraine’s air force said Wednesday it shot down 21 of 22 drones Russia launched over three Ukrainian regions.
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