Ukraine says it struck the Kremniy El microelectronics plant in Bryansk with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, damaging production facilities used to make semiconductors for missile systems. Moscow called the attack a "terrorist" incident, reporting six dead and at least 37 wounded; Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed civilian casualties. The strike comes amid continuous cross-border strikes and renewed discussion of U.S.-brokered talks between Kyiv and Moscow next week.
Ukraine Strikes 'Key' Russian Microelectronics Plant in Bryansk; Moscow Says Six Dead
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike -- using cruise missiles -- 'a completely justified response' to Russia's attacks (Tetiana DZHAFAROVA)(Tetiana DZHAFAROVA/AFP/AFP)
Ukraine announced it struck a "key" Russian military electronics factory in the western city of Bryansk on Tuesday, a move President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a "completely justified response to the aggressor." Moscow reported six people killed and at least 37 wounded in the attack.
The Ukrainian General Staff posted video on social media purportedly showing a building rocked by multiple explosions and plumes of black smoke. Ukraine said it used British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles to hit the site it identified as the Kremniy El microelectronics plant.
What Kyiv and Moscow said
Zelensky said the factory produced electronics and components used in missiles that have struck Ukrainian cities. The Ukrainian military said the plant specialised in discrete semiconductor technology and integrated microchips, calling them the "brains" and "nerve system" of modern weapons, including Iskander missiles, and that the strike inflicted significant damage to production facilities.
"Units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully struck the Bryansk microelectronics plant Kremniy El with Storm Shadow air-launched missiles," the General Staff posted.
Moscow denounced the incident as a "terrorist" attack and said the wounded were being treated at Bryansk Regional Hospital, according to regional governor Aleksandr Bogomaz. Ukraine has not publicly confirmed whether there were civilian casualties in the strike.
Wider Context
Bryansk, a city of about 400,000 people, lies roughly 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The attack comes amid near-daily Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, and follows a pattern of Ukrainian counterstrikes on Russian infrastructure, including energy facilities.
Separately, Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes killed four people and wounded at least 20 in Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, as Kremlin-backed forces press toward the hub. The fate of the Donbas — the largely industrial area spanning parts of Donetsk and Luhansk — remains a central sticking point in stalled talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Despite the impasse, the United States has proposed another round of talks next week, possibly in Switzerland or Turkey, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said the trilateral meeting expected this week may be shifted to next week, and Zelensky confirmed U.S. proposals to reschedule.
Previous uses of Storm Shadow
Kyiv previously said it used Storm Shadow missiles in December to strike a Russian oil refinery in the Rostov region that it said directly supported Moscow's armed forces.
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