15 August 2026
Ukrainian forces launched a missile strike on the Samara Region on the night of August 15, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev announced. The attack targeted an “industrial enterprise,” he wrote, without providing details. Authorities have established a task force. According to Samara Mayor Ivan Noskov, the strike caused “localized damage” to the city’s industrial infrastructure. “I am working with the enterprise’s management and emergency services on the ground. Medical assistance has been provided to the injured,” he stated. Local residents reported missiles flying overhead, powerful explosions, a massive fire, and thick black smoke over the attack site, as well as a “bad smell” in several areas. Authorities also began shutting down mobile internet services.
According to Ukrainian monitoring channels, the Progress Rocket and Space Center, a joint-stock company that produces, among other things, the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicles used to launch the Rassvet satellite internet satellites, marketed as a counterpart to Elon Musk’s Starlink, was hit by Ukrainian Flamingo rockets. It is located in the eastern part of the city, near Zemets Street and Kirov Avenue, where traffic was blocked after the strike. Astra, which reviewed footage from local residents, confirmed that the fire broke out near the Progress Rocket and Space Center. Exilenova+ claims the strike hit “the main workshop.” According to Supernova, two missiles hit the facility in total.
https://t.me/exilenova_plus/28854
Progress (part of Roscosmos) is one of Russia’s leading companies in the rocket and space industry, developing and testing the Soyuz-2 series launch vehicles and spacecraft. It is sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ukraine, New Zealand, and Japan for its involvement in the development of rockets and satellites used in aggression against Ukraine.
The Aviakor aircraft factory is also located near Progress in Samara’s industrial zone. The Ukrainian Armed Forces presumably targeted it as well. It is one of Russia’s largest aircraft manufacturers, assembling, repairing, and servicing various types of aircraft, including military ones.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 598 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were shot down and intercepted last night over 19 Russian regions, as well as in Crimea and the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. The Samara Region was not mentioned in the report.
Destroying the roach’s Starlink equivalent capabilities was my first thought when this news popped up.
So far, this system is pretty useless, but not once enough satellites are up and working. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on Western sanctions to prevent this from happening. Many vital components are Western made. So Ukraine has to take things into its own hands again.