There is an assumption that an explosive-laden light aircraft converted into an unmanned aerial vehicle could have been used for the attack.
On April 2, drones once again brought “cotton” to Russia: they attacked the production of Shahed kamikaze drones (in Yelabuz) and the TANECO refinery (in Nizhnyokamsk) in Tatarstan. According to sources, these strikes are an operation of the GUR and SBU.
Everything that is known about the drone attack on Tatarstan on April 2, details about the strikes and consequences, can be found on TSN.ua.
Attack in Tatarstan on the “Shakhediv” plant
On April 2, explosions rang out in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan. It became known that the cause of the explosions was drone attack on the factory in Yelabuz, where “Shakhed” kamikaze attack drones are assembled. We are talking about “Alabuga” – the largest and most successful special economic zone of the industrial-production type in the Russian Federation.
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According to information from the Russian public, three drones fell on the territory of “Alabuga”. As a result of the impact, windows and doors were broken in two buildings of the local student dormitory of “Alabuga Polytechnic”. Currently known about 12 victims as a result of the attack.
The head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minikhanov, confirmed the information about the attacks. He noted that the attacks were carried out on enterprises in Yelabuz and Nizhnyokamsk.
“This morning, the republic’s enterprises in Yelabuz and Nizhnekamsk were attacked by unmanned aerial vehicles. There were no serious damages, the technological process of enterprises is not disturbed. In Yelabuz, unfortunately, as a result of the destruction of the premises, there are victims. They are provided with all the necessary assistance,” Minikhanov said.
Russian Telegram channels published a number of videos from the scene of the attack. The videos show the moment of flight, the fall of the drone at the Shahediv factory, the footage shows an explosion and a towering flame. The screams of frightened people can also be heard.
Attack on the “Shakhediv” plant in Tatarstan on April 2 / Screenshot from the video
Who is behind the attack on the “Shakhediv” plant and what were the results
The operation related to the attack on the “Shakhediv” plant in Tatarstan was carried out by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. This was reported by the “RBK-Ukraine” publication with reference to a source in the special services. There have been no official comments on this so far.
The interlocutor of the publication said that the Shahed drone assembly plant, which the Russians label as Geran-2, came under attack. The source of the publication informed about significant destruction of production facilities as a result of the impact.
Attack on a factory in Tatarstan / Photo: Baza/Telegram
Photo from the site of the drone attack on the Shahediv factory in Tatarstan / Photo: Russian Telegram channels
An attack on an oil refinery in Tatarstan
At the same time, on April 2, drones also attacked oil refinery “TANECO” in Nizhnyokamsk, which is in Tatarstan. As the Russian public informs, the drone hit the technological installation of the refinery. After that, a fire broke out.
According to preliminary data, at least three people were injured as a result of the attack.
It should be noted that in 2022, the “TANECO” (“Tatarstan Oil Refining Complex”) plant took fifth place in the ranking of the largest refineries in Russia with a processing volume of 16.2 million tons of oil per year.
“TANECO” was founded in 2005 and became the first oil refinery built from scratch in post-Soviet Russia.
The “TANECO” oil refinery in Tatarstan was attacked / Photo: Russian Telegram channels
Who attacked the refinery in Nizhnyokamsk
According to TSN.ua sources, the attack on the refinery in Nizhnyokamsk – a joint operation of the SBU and the GUR.
“The sources confirmed that the nighttime “cotton” at the oil refinery in Tatarstan is a joint operation of the SBU and the State Security Service. A Ukrainian long-range drone hit the primary oil processing facility at the oil refinery in Nizhnyokamsk, after which a fire broke out there,” the sources said.
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Memi about the UAV attack in Tatarstan
After the news about the strikes on Tatarstan appeared, Ukrainians drew attention to the huge size of the drone and created memes that were published on the Internet. So, users of social networks jokingly called the huge drone “Ukrainian Boeing”, “corner” and “hang-glider”:
- “A corn cob is a scary thing”;
- “Here’s a drone. I imagined *a bunch of pposhniks, when this corncutter flew half a race”;
- “A drone the size of a small plane, that’s what we need”;
- “This is not a drone, but a whole corn plant”;
- “The planes are flying, we will bomb everyone.”
The Ukrainians also appealed to the residents of Tatarstan with a sarcastic call to “wake up” and not be afraid, because “they are being released.”
Memes on the attack of the UAV on Russian Tatarstan / Photo from open sources
Memes for the BrLA attack on Russian Tatarstan / Photo from open sources
Memes on the attack of the UAV on Russian Tatarstan / Photo from open sources
Memes on the attack of the UAV on Russian Tatarstan / Photo from open sources
Memes on the attack of the UAV on Russian Tatarstan / Photo from open sources
Butusov spoke about the specifics of the attack on Tatarstan
The attack on the refinery in Nizhnyokamsk and in the special economic zone “Alabuga”, on the territory of which the Iranian drones “Shakhed” are assembled, became the most far-reaching for Ukrainian UAVs since the beginning of the war. A Ukrainian journalist drew attention to this Yuriy Butusov.
He noted that now the affected area has increased to more than 1,200 km from the border of Ukraine.
“It is interesting that during the attack an explosive-laden light aircraft converted into an unmanned aerial vehicle could be used“, Butusov expressed his opinion.
He also informed that until now the most far-reaching attack was carried out in January 2024 in the Leningrad region. Then the drone covered a distance of about 900 km, hitting the objects of the “Petersburg oil terminal”.
The distance on the map from the border of Ukraine to the place of attack on Tatarstan
“Yes, and to laugh. Z-propagandists saw symbolism in the drone raid: on the territory of Tatarstan The UAVs arrived precisely on the anniversary of the liquidation of Vladlen Tatarskyi“, the journalist shared a screenshot of posts by Russian propagandists.
Z-propagandists saw symbolism in the drone raid
The reaction of the Russian authorities to the strikes on Tatarstan
Spokesman of the President of Russia Dmytro Peskov said that the military is working to stop Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.
After the drone strikes on Tatarstan, the head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defense Andriy Kartapolov said that “when we take Kyiv, then arbitrariness with drones will end”. He assured that the Russian soldiers are doing everything possible to cover the sky.
At the same time, Russian State Duma deputy Andriy Gurulyov said that the drone that attacked Tatarstan could have been launched from the steppes of Central Asia.
“They are practically uninhabited and are not monitored either from the air or by radar. You can take anything there,” Gurulyov said.
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