Key facts
- Ukraine claims to have struck a Russian military airfield and a rocket center.
- The targeted rocket center in Samara is said to support Russia's satellite internet network.
- President Zelenskiy stated the strikes aim to reduce Russia's war potential.
- The Progress rocket and space centre in Samara produces rockets for the Rassvet broadband network.
- Local officials confirmed damage to industrial infrastructure in Samara.
- Russia reported striking Ukrainian logistics and infrastructure targets.
Ukraine announced on Saturday that its long-range strikes had hit a Russian military airfield and a rocket center in the Samara region, which Kyiv claims supports Russia's developing satellite internet network. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that the strikes, using Flamingo cruise missiles, were intended to degrade Russia's war-fighting capabilities.
According to Ukraine's General Staff, direct hits were recorded at the airfield in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region and the Progress rocket and space centre in Samara, with fires reported at both locations. The Progress centre is noted for producing rockets used for the Rassvet broadband network, Russia's alternative to SpaceX's Starlink, which provides Kyiv with a communication advantage.
Authorities in Nizhny Novgorod did not confirm the airfield strike. In Samara, local officials acknowledged localised damage to industrial infrastructure from a missile attack, without specifying the exact site. The Progress centre has a history of involvement in Soviet and Russian space programs, including the Soyuz rocket family.
Both sides have intensified long-range strikes amid ongoing conflict. Russia's defence ministry reported hitting Ukrainian logistics, fuel, energy, and transport infrastructure, as well as drone assembly workshops, in the preceding 24 hours.