Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Military Optics Plant in Rostov

Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone strike on the Russian city of Azov in the Rostov region overnight, deploying roughly 20 unmanned aircraft, according to multiple situational reports released early 4 July. Several of the drones hit the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant, a facility known for producing high-precision optics, thermal imaging equipment, radar seeker heads and other components used in Russian military and space systems. Field sources cited at least three confirmed impacts on the site, suggesting notable physical damage. There were no immediate official statements from the Russian Ministry of Defence or Ukrainian authorities regarding casualties or the scope of the damage, but the strike underscores Kyiv’s expanding use of long-range unmanned systems to disrupt Russian industrial assets supporting the war effort.