Ukraine's navy announced on 16/1 that "several production workshops at the Atlant Aero factory have been confirmed destroyed," referring to the outcome of a strike conducted several days prior.

Satellite images published by the navy show the building in the lower right corner suffered severe damage, with a section burned down. Two nearby workshops also sustained partial damage.

AMK Mapping, an X account specializing in open-source intelligence on the Ukraine conflict, assessed that the damage primarily affected the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing workshops at the factory.

Russia's Ministry of Defense has not commented on this information.

Satellite images show the Atlant Aero factory before and after the Ukrainian strike, as released in a video by Ukraine's navy on 16/1. *Screenshot*

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated on 13/1 that it coordinated with the country's navy to conduct a nighttime strike on the Atlant Aero factory in Taganrog, Russia, causing "large explosions and fires."

Kyiv did not specify the weapons used. However, AMK Mapping suggested that Ukrainian forces launched at least one neptune cruise missile and possibly also suicide drones.

According to the SBU, Atlant Aero is a facility specializing in the production of low-cost Molniya UAVs and components for Orion UAVs, as well as electronic warfare equipment and related parts.

The Molniya is a fixed-wing suicide UAV that utilizes the control system of a first-person view (FPV) drone.

With a longer flight range and greater payload capacity than typical FPV drones, the Molniya UAV has proven highly effective in striking logistics routes and fortified defensive positions. Russia increased its use of this UAV model in 2025.

The wreckage of a Molniya UAV shot down near the front line in Dnipropetrovsk province in 2/2025. *Reuters*

Taganrog is an important port city located in Rostov province, more than 40 km from the Russian-controlled area in Donetsk province. Over the past year, Russian production facilities, including targets far from the front lines, have increasingly been struck by Ukraine as the country continuously improves its long-range strike capabilities.

Last year, Kyiv unveiled its domestic flamingo cruise missile, advertised as having a range of 3,000 km and carrying a 1,150 kg warhead. Ukraine also introduced an extended-range version of the neptune missile with a range of 1,000 km, more than three times that of the original model.

Pham Giang (According to Kyiv Independent)