Ukrainian Strike Disables Drone Production Workshops at Russia’s Kupol Missile Plant

A Ukrainian drone strike has damaged four drone production workshops at the Kupol plant in Izhevsk, Russia, forcing the facility to shut down, according to Russian outlet ASTRA.

Sources said one drone entered through a window in workshop No. 106, while another struck the roof of workshop No. 110, triggering an explosion and fire.

The blasts caused the roof of a 1,300 sq m building to collapse.

The targeted site was used to develop and produce microcircuits for military drones and was operating around the clock in three shifts.

The strike hit areas where metalworking, microcircuit soldering, and final assembly of drones took place. Three employees were killed and 45 others injured, including 35 hospitalized, ASTRA reported.

Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the attack, stating that on July 1, units of the Security Service of Ukraine, in coordination with other branches of the Defense Forces, carried out a precision strike on the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant Kupol.

The strike resulted in “accurate hits” on building No. 1 at site No. 1, and a fire broke out, the statement said.

Founded in 1957, the Kupol plant (JSC Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant, or IEMZ Kupol) is a key enterprise in Russia’s defense industry. It produces air defense missile systems, target training systems, and provides maintenance services. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the plant has also been producing Harpy-A1 loitering munitions using Chinese components.

The facility is under sanctions by the EU, US, Canada, Ukraine, and Switzerland.

Recently, Ukrainian drones also struck fuel and rocket propellant storage facilities in the Russian Bryansk region, according to reports.