Ukraine’s military says it struck Russia’s Tambov gunpowder plant

KYIV: The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that it had struck a major Russian gunpowder plant in the western Tambov region overnight, causing a fire at the site.

The Ukrainian military characterised the plant as one of the main facilities in Russia’s military industrial complex. “It produces gunpowder for various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems,” it said in a statement on Telegram.

Tambov regional Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said early on Wednesday that Russian defences had repelled a “massive attack” by Ukrainian drones on the town of Kotovsk, which independent Russian media identified as the site of a gunpowder plant.

He said one downed drone had caused a fire but no casualties, and the situation was under control.

Pervyshov also told people not to film and publish images of air defence operations and attempted attacks, as this would provide “direct assistance to the enemy.”

The Tambov gunpowder plant produces propellant powders used in charges for ammunition for 122 mm and 152 mm howitzers, according to a report from the Royal United Services Institute and the Open Source Centre.

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The Ukrainian military also said that it recorded explosions at an ammunition depot in Russia’s Kursk region and an airfield depot in Russia’s Voronezh region.