Ukrainian drone strikes hit Nizhny Novgorod industrial zones
Two industrial zones in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, including one in the Arzamas district, came under attack from Ukrainian drones late Sunday night, August 11. According to a Telegram post from regional governor Gleb Nikitin, one employee was killed on the spot, and two others were hospitalized.
The governor did not specify which factories were targeted by Ukrainian forces. However, Ukrainian media and Telegram channels speculate that one of the targets was likely the Plandin Arzamas Instrument Engineering Plant, known for producing equipment for the aviation and aerospace sectors as well as for civilian use, according to Ukrainian outlet Channel 24.
Meanwhile, the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash reported that witnesses heard "three pops and one powerful explosion" around 3:55 a.m. over Arzamas. The report mentions sightings of at least five drones flying extremely low near the northern outskirts of the city, close to the village of Zhiguli.
Later, around 11:00 a.m. Moscow time, Reuters quoted an unnamed officer from Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency stating that "at least four drones struck the plant in Arzamas, which manufactures control systems and other components for Russia's X-32 and X-101 missiles."
The second potential target for the Ukrainian drones, as suggested by the Telegram channel Astra, could have been an "industrial zone in Dzerzhinsk, where military enterprises are located".
On the evening of August 10, Dmitry Milyaev, governor of the Tula region, announced an "aerial attack on one of Tula's civilian enterprises," resulting in two fatalities. The governor did not disclose specific targets, stating only that "injured individuals have been hospitalized and are receiving necessary medical care."
Russia's Ministry of Defense reported on the morning of August 11 that over the previous night, 32 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones had been intercepted and destroyed over Russia and the annexed territory of Crimea. This included seven drones over Belgorod, five each over Bryansk and Kaluga regions, four over annexed Crimea, two each over Oryol, Kursk, Voronezh, Ryazan, and Moscow regions, and one drone over Tula.
In a subsequent statement the same morning, the Russian defense ministry confirmed an attack on the Nizhny Novgorod region, declaring that two drones were shot down there. The same post mentioned the destruction of four additional drones over Crimea and one more over Belgorod.