**Russian Air Defenses Repel Drone Attack on Kamikaze Drone Factory**
In a significant development, Russian air defenses on April 23 successfully intercepted drones in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia’s Tatarstan. The area is home to a factory producing Shahed-type drones, which have been widely used by Russia in aerial attacks against Ukraine.
According to independent news channel Astra, purported footage of a drone being shot down was shared on Telegram channels. The drones were identified as Aeroprakt A-22 and UJ-22 Airborne unmanned aircraft.
Russian air defenses also claimed to have shot down one Ukrainian airplane-type drone in Tatarstan at around 12:20 p.m. local time, but details about the incident are scarce. The Ukrainian military has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
**Background: Ukraine’s Long-Range Drone Campaign**
The Alabuga facility was previously targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones in April last year. The drones aimed to disrupt Russian production of Shaheds and their variants, Gerans, used in aerial attacks against Ukraine.
Over 6,000 Shahed-type drones were produced at the Alabuga factory last year, along with thousands of decoy drones designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. This year, Russia plans to produce 8,000-10,000 Shaheds/Gerans and 15,000 decoys in Alabuga.
**War on Multiple Fronts**
Throughout the full-scale war, Ukrainian long-range drones have targeted Russian industrial and military facilities deep in their rear lines, aiming to undermine Russia’s ability to wage its all-out war. The latest drone attack is just one example of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to disrupt Russian operations.
**Global Reactions: US and European Diplomats Pull Out**
In a separate development, top US and European diplomats have pulled out of planned peace talks on ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The meeting was supposed to take place at a lower level than planned due to reported disagreements on key points of the US peace plan.
The UK, France, and Germany have also suspended their plans to attend the talks in London on how to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. The US reportedly presented its peace proposal last week during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Paris, but details about the plan remain unclear.
**Humanitarian Crisis**
Meanwhile, Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least four civilians and injured at least 88, including children, over the past day. A separate drone attack on the town of Marhanets in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast killed at least nine people and injured at least 30.
The humanitarian crisis continues to escalate, with regional authorities reporting an increasing number of casualties, including civilians and military personnel.
