Ukraine Drones Target Key Russian Explosive Manufacturer, Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs the meeting with the heads of leading media outlets from BRICS countries at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine targeted Moscow and a manufacturer of military explosives deep inside Russian territory with drones overnight, officials and Russian Telegram channels reported on Sunday.
Russian air defense units downed 110 Ukrainian drones over Russia, the defense ministry said, including one over the Moscow region, 43 over the border region of Kursk, and 27 over southwestern Lipetsk region.
The Russian SHOT Telegram channel reported that drones attempted to strike the Ya. M. Sverdlov State Owned Enterprise in Dzerzhinsk city, Nizhny Novgorod region, about 400 km east of Moscow.
The plant, one of the largest manufacturers of explosives used by Russian forces in the war that Moscow launched against Ukraine in February 2022, is subject to sanctions by the United States and the European Union.
Four firefighters received minor shrapnel wounds in a drone attack on an industrial zone in Dzerzhinsk city, the region's governor said, without specifying the target of the attack.
The Russian defense ministry said on Telegram that eight Ukrainian drones were destroyed over Nizhny Novgorod. Residents reported powerful explosions and white smoke in the area of ​​the plant, SHOT reported.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that debris fell in the Ramensky district of Moscow region but there was no damage or casualties.
Kyiv has often said its air attacks target infrastructure key to Russia's war efforts and are a response to Moscow's continued air attacks on Ukraine.
Russian officials often do not disclose full extent of damage inflicted by the drone attacks, especially on military, transport or energy infrastructure.