Ukraine strikes Russian bomber plant with long-range drones
On the night of January 20, Ukraine launched an attack using long-range drones on the Kazan Aviation Production Association named after S.P. Gorbunov (KAPO). This facility, located in Tatarstan, manufactures Russian Tu-160M strategic bombers and Tu-214 passenger planes.
Ukrainian sources, as cited by Defence 24, reported that the target was a particular building at KAPO—the "Mechanical Engineering and Instrument Production" facilities of KAPO-Kompozit.
The building was reportedly hit, causing nearby fuel depot fires. While it's challenging to assess the extent of the damage, the impact is presumed to be relatively small despite the explosion at the fuel depot.
This is because drones typically carry relatively small warheads and are not designed for penetrating building interiors. As a result, explosions usually occur outside, without damaging structural elements.
A successful strike on a strategic factory is undoubtedly a victory for Ukraine. The attack on KAPO is likely particularly distressing for Russia, as the facility has been heavily funded in recent years to modernize the bomber fleet—including efforts to revive the world's largest titanium parts processing plant.
Strategic bombers from Kazan
Despite Russia's boasts about delivering new units to its air force, the bombers are assembled using components that are decades old. This is how the strategic Tu-160s are produced; since the Kremlin publicized the resumption of their production, at least four units have been delivered in the modernized Tu-160M/M2 variant.
One of these units, the one in which Vladimir Putin took a flight, had an accident in the spring of 2024 when its engines caught fire. The official plan is to introduce four more bombers into service by 2025, but given the current production pace, this seems unlikely. Currently, Russia operates no more than a dozen of these units.
Additionally, at the Kazan plants, evidence suggests that several Tu-22M3 bombers in the new Tu-22M3M variant have been rebuilt using over 30-year-old airframes that had been deteriorating for years at the facility's airport. Besides new and modernized bombers, KAPO also produces the Russian Tu-214 passenger plane at a rate of two units per year.
