Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reports on the results of the strike on Smolensk

2 October, 2023 Smolensk Aviation Plant. Photo from open sources The Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has disclosed the target of the strike on the Russian city of Smolensk.

The strike took place on Sunday, October 1. The drones attacked the Smolensk Aviation Plant, which is part of the Russian holding company Tactical Missiles Corporation. According to intelligence, the strike disrupted the production of Kh-59 air-to-ground missiles of various modifications.

"According to confirmed reports, three of the four drones hit the target, causing significant damage to the production facilities of the aggressor state's military enterprise," the Defence Intelligence said. They added that the Kh-59 missile (in the Kh-59MK2 modification) with a launch range of up to 280 km was one of the missiles that combat aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces most often fired at military and civilian targets in Ukraine during a full-scale invasion.

The Kh-59M missile

The DIU clarified that the regions that suffer the most from the use of such Russian weapons are Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. As previously reported, on Sunday, October 1, the governor of the Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, said that five aircraft-type drones attempted to attack the Smolensk city.

Eyewitnesses posted videos on social media of drones flying over the city at low altitude toward the nearby Smolensk Aircraft Plant. According to the Russian official, the drones targeted the local aviation plant.

He said that the drones were allegedly suppressed by electronic warfare and air defense. There is no information on casualties and infrastructure damage in the Russian city.

Smolensk Aviation Plant. Photo from open sources

The main activities of the Smolensk Aircraft Plant include serial production of products developed at the Tactical Missiles Corporation; manufacturing of Yak-18T and SM-92T aircraft on individual orders; maintenance of Yak-18T aircraft and production of spare parts for Yak-40 and Yak-42 aircraft.

In October 2022, the authorities of the Russian region reported that the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation had loaded the plant with government orders until 2025.