02/18/2026
In the Russian region of Chuvashia, a complaint was filed about an attack by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on February 18. Local authorities confirmed the explosions, but tried to downplay their consequences, stating that there were no casualties and that “capital buildings” were destroyed.
Local residents had the opposite impression: they reported arrivals at the VNIIR-Progress enterprise in Cheboksary, which is important for the Russian defense industry and assembles Shaheds, missiles, and KABs. This is reported by the independent Russian publication ASTRA.
Explosions rocked Cheboksary
According to ASTRA, on the night of February 18, residents of Cheboksary (Chuvashia) reported numerous explosions.
The head of the region, Oleg Nikolayev, tried to calm the Russians by confirming the fact of the attack, but assuring that its consequences were limited to damage to several cars.
“This morning, an attack by unmanned aerial vehicles was recorded in the Novoyuzhny district of Cheboksary and in the Cheboksary district (Yaushi) on the territory of Chuvashia. The main thing at the moment. There are no casualties. There is no destruction of capital buildings. Damage to several cars was recorded,” the Russian official said.
However, footage taken by Cheboksary residents suggests the opposite. They show smoke above the landing site. And the landing site, according to Cheboksary residents, was again at the VNDIR-Progress defense enterprise.
ASTRA, citing local residents, writes about “at least three drones that fell,” at least one of them, the Russians say, fell near the plant, another less than a kilometer away, near the Romashka store.
“What exactly is smoking is unknown,” the publication adds.
Local residents also stated that traffic was blocked in the city along 9th Pyatirichka Avenue, Ivan Yakovlev Avenue from “Romashka”, and Hevesheska Street.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the “interception and destruction” of 43 Ukrainian UAVs overnight; according to the department, two of them were “shot down” over Chuvashia.
What is known about “VNIIR-Progress”
The enterprise “VNIIR-Progress”, as stated on its website, is part of the production association “ABS Electro” and “has many years of experience in the development and production of scientific and technical products, software and hardware complexes, automation and control systems, electrical products, electronic component base, electronic modules, radio electronic products .”
In particular, it produces Comet antennas for the Russian occupation army, which protect Russian Armed Forces drones from Ukrainian electronic warfare equipment.
It is known that the plant is engaged in the production of satellite GNSS receivers and antennas for the Glonass, GPS and Galileo systems, “Comet” type modules, which are used in Shahed type kamikaze drones, as well as in missiles of the “Iskander-M” and “Caliber” complexes and UMPK modules for aerial bombs.
This factory in Cheboksary, located about a thousand kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has been attacked before. In particular, after the attack on June 9 last year, the enterprise temporarily suspended work.
Previously, OBOZ.UA reported that the Ukrainian military showed a list of destroyed Russian military-industrial complex and energy facilities.
This concerns over 240 important military and energy facilities on the territory of Russia and temporarily occupied Ukrainian lands. These are oil and fuel and defense infrastructure enterprises of the Russian invaders, energy facilities, airfields, air defense systems, and radar stations.