Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Battery Plant, Civilian Killed in Lipetsk

Ukraine said it carried out an overnight drone strike against a plant that produces batteries and accumulators for Russian military equipment in the Lipetsk region, about 350 kilometers south of Moscow. Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, identified the target as the Energia factory in the city of Yelets, which Western sanctions list for supplying components used in drones and Iskander ballistic missiles. Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov confirmed a drone attack in the region and said falling debris killed a 70-year-old woman and injured two other residents. He added that workers were briefly evacuated after a fire broke out in a parking lot near the enterprise. No damage figures for the facility were disclosed. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air-defense systems shot down 69 Ukrainian drones over four regions and annexed Crimea during the night, including 10 over Lipetsk. The ministry did not comment on damage to industrial sites. The incident is the latest in a series of strikes on targets deep inside Russia as Kyiv seeks to disrupt Moscow’s weapons production capability.