Ukraine strikes deep into Russia, rocket centre in Samara, airfield in Nizhny Novgorod hit

Ukraine said on Saturday that its forces carried out strikes on two Russian military-related targets, including a rocket and space centre in Samara and the Savasleyka military airfield in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the strikes were part of Ukraine’s "long-range sanctions" strategy against Russia, adding that the attacks targeted facilities involved in Russia’s war effort. He said the Progress Center in the Samara region was hit using Flamingo missiles, while the Savasleyka airbase, which he described as hosting Russian missile carriers, was also damaged. He also said Ukraine had confirmed damage to an oil facility at Ust-Luga.

The claims came after explosions were reported overnight in both areas. Earlier reports from monitoring channels said fires were seen around Savasleyka, where Russia operates MiG-31 fighter jets capable of carrying Kinzhal ballistic missiles. In Samara, monitoring channel Exilenova Plus reported several explosions and claimed Ukrainian Flamingo missiles were involved. Another monitoring channel, Supernova Plus, claimed that a Russian Oreshnik ballistic missile had struck a major aerospace design and production facility in the city.

Samara regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed that missiles had hit an industrial facility but did not identify the location. He said authorities were assessing the situation and checking for casualties and other damage.

The reported strikes came amid a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian military and energy infrastructure deep inside the country. On August 14, Ukrainian forces struck the Ust-Luga port in Russia's Leningrad region, damaging two processing plants and triggering a fire, according to Ukraine's General Staff. The Baltic Sea port is one of Russia's largest and includes an oil terminal used to export crude and petroleum products.

On August 13, Ukraine's General Staff said its forces had struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil refinery complex in Russia's Bashkortostan region, about 1,300 km from Ukraine.

Russia also launched another overnight attack on August 15 with 152 Shahed-type drones and loitering munitions, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian military infrastructure and strategic facilities far from the front line, seeking to disrupt Moscow's ability to sustain its war effort.