Ukrainian strike targets key Russian drone tech hub
Ukrainian forces attacked the only factory in Russia that produces fiber optic cables essential for the operation of drones used by the Russian military, according to the latest analysis by the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
FPV (first-person view) fiber optic drones are equipped with a fiber optic cable wound on a spool, which unrolls during flight and connects the machine to the operator. Thanks to this technology, the unmanned aerial vehicles are resistant to military devices targeting radio waves, but they have less maneuverability and are more susceptible to loss of connectivity. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces use drones of this type in combat.
Ukraine attacked Russian fiber optic factory
The head of the Ukrainian government’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, announced on Saturday that "unidentified drones" hit a fiber optic systems factory in Saransk, the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, located about 500 miles from the Russian border with Ukraine. Kovalenko stated that the enterprise produces materials for control, communication, and data transmission systems, including those for drone control.
In videos released on Saturday on social media, a powerful explosion and fire can be seen in Saransk.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces shot down three drones over the Republic of Mordovia between Friday and Saturday night, and the regional head, Artyom Zdunov, confirmed that a drone hit the enterprise.
ISW stated that it cannot verify the damage to the factory in Saransk. It also added that successful Ukrainian attacks on the enterprise would likely limit the Russian army's capabilities in supplying soldiers with fiber optics used by drones.
Ukrainian staff: We do not attack Russian energy
Ukraine does not attack Russian energy; it is Russia that is shelling Ukraine’s infrastructure and killing its civilian population, stated the General Staff in Kyiv on Saturday in response to Moscow's accusations that the Ukrainian side is violating a ceasefire agreement by attacking energy facilities.
According to the Ukrainian side, recently, the Russian army has attacked Ukraine with 92 unmanned aerial vehicles, dropped 171 guided aerial bombs, and used artillery 6,353 times.
As a result of the enemy's treacherous attacks, civilian and critical infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, and other regions of Ukraine, the Ukrainian staff declared.
