Ukraine says it has struck Russian rocket and space centre

Ukrainian forces carried out a large-scale long-range aerial strike targeting industrial infrastructure deep inside Russia, hitting the Progress Rocket and Space Centre in the southwestern Samara region roughly 560 miles from the border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that domestic FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles were used in the operation against the facility, which operates under the Russian space agency Roscosmos and manufactures rocket technology, electronics, and launch vehicles deployed to place military reconnaissance and communications spacecraft into orbit.

Additional long-range operations struck the Savasleyka air base in the Nizhny Novgorod region—located some 430 miles from the front line and utilized to operate MiG-31K fighter jets capable of carrying Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles—alongside an oil facility in Ust-Luga near the Estonian border. Ivan Noskov, head of the Samara capital, acknowledged that air defense forces repelled a massive missile attack resulting in localized damage to industrial sites and medical assistance for injured individuals, though exact casualty figures were not fully disclosed by local officials.

Independent data from the conflict monitor ACLED indicates that Kyiv has significantly accelerated its deep-strike strategy this year, launching three times as many long-range attacks in July compared to January. This systematic campaign is designed to reduce Moscow's war revenue, stretch Russian air defenses over a vastly expanded territory, and compel the domestic population to feel the consequences of a conflict now entering its fifth year. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that fires broke out on the grounds of both the Progress centre and the Savasleyka air base following successful impact verification.

Simultaneously, the broader aerial conflict intensified across multiple fronts. Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported intercepting 598 drones across 19 regions as well as the Black and Azov Seas and occupied Crimea, while a drone strike in the Moscow region town of Shatura injured two people, including a nine-year-old child. In parallel, heavy Russian bombardments struck Ukrainian territory overnight, launching 152 drones and loitering munitions that targeted port infrastructure in Odesa, Izmail, and Yuzhnyi.