Russia Reports Strikes on Shipunov Design Bureau

Russian authorities have reported multiple drone strikes on the Joint-Stock Company Instrument Design Bureau named after Academic A. G. Shipunov in Tula, damaging facilities and halting operations at one of the country’s major defense enterprises.

The news was first reported by independent outlet Astra, citing sources within regional emergency services.

According to the report, five drones targeted the bureau on June 18, damaging an electrical substation, three warehouses storing defense products, and an administrative building. The attack triggered a fire covering 400 square meters.

A second strike occurred overnight on June 20, when another drone hit a hangar used for loading finished products. The blast damaged the roof and walls of the structure. Astra reported that operations at the facility had since been suspended.

Russian monitoring channels tracking air activity confirmed drone sightings over Tula and air defense activity during both incidents. The Russian Ministry of Defense also stated that three drones had been intercepted over the region during the night of June 20.

Shipunov Design Bureau

The JSC Design Bureau of Instrument-Making Named After Academician A.G. Shipunov is one of Russia’s leading defense industry enterprises. It is a subsidiary of the State Corporation Rostec, operating under the High-Precision Systems holding.

Based in Tula, the enterprise employs over 8,000 workers, including engineers, designers, and production personnel. It conducts both research and development and serial production of high-precision weapons systems.

The bureau is known for producing a range of air defense and anti-armor systems, including the Pantsir-S1 and Tunguska short-range air defense systems, Kornet and Metis anti-tank guided missiles, as well as the 30 mm 2A42 automatic cannon and various grenade launchers.

According to public sources, current production includes Pantsir-S1 systems, AGS-17 and AGS-30 automatic grenade launchers, GM-94 handheld grenade launchers, and OSV-96 sniper rifles.

The reported presence of these munitions at the site might explain the absence of secondary explosions or large-scale fires during the reported attacks, which would otherwise be more visible via open-source monitoring.

The incident comes days after Ukrainian drones reportedly forced the suspension of operations at Nevinnomyssky Azot JSC, one of Russia’s largest chemical plants. The facility was known for supplying components used in the production of explosives and rocket fuel.