THIS is the dramatic moment Russians sprinted in terror as Ukrainian kamikaze drones blitzed one of Vladimir Putin’s weapons strongholds.
Explosive footage showed the Lyutyi drones striking the Kupol Electromechanical Plant in Izhevsk, sparking a deafening blast and towering flames.
The plant was known to be one of the crown jewels in Russia’s military-industrial complex before it was engulfed by a fireball.
Witnesses observed residents running away in fear, their cries reverberating throughout the city, while gunfire erupted in a futile effort to ward off the impending attack.
In a flash, the skyline of Russia’s so-called “City of Gunsmiths” was blackened by choking smoke as fire engulfed the key arms facility.
Situated over 750 miles away from the Ukrainian border, the facility manufactures the lethal Tor-M2E surface-to-air missile systems and Harpiya-A1 attack drones, essential armaments in Putin’s arsenal.
Two Lyutyi drones smashed into the facility in a five-minute window with devastating accuracy.
Incredibly, there was no air raid warning — a factor officials say contributed to the high number of casualties.
Russian officials said three people were killed and at least 31 others injured in the attack.
“There are explosions in Izhevsk, Russia,” said Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Counteracting Disinformation.
“The Kupol Electromechanical Plant can be found in that area. It stands as a key supplier of the Tor missile systems and Harpiya-A1 attack drones for the Russian military,” a source stated.
The head of Udmurtia, Igor Brechalov, confirmed the strike had left victims and chaos in its wake.
“All the emergency services are working. Medical services, psychologists. There are casualties. The firemen are putting out the fires,” he said.
The strike targeted not just Kupol — located in the heart of Izhevsk, also home to the iconic Kalashnikov arms conglomerate — but the very symbol of Russia’s war machine.
The powerful drone blitz came as Ukraine unleashed a new wave of vengeance across occupied regions – including a British-made Storm Shadow missile strike that reportedly killed Russian officers “in droves”.
Dramatic footage from Donetsk showed the aftermath of the strike, which Ukrainian sources say devastated the headquarters of Russia’s 8th Combined Arms Army, killing scores of military personnel.
“The building is penetrated to the basement. [The dead] are being taken out in batches,” reported Ukrainian channel Supernova+.
If confirmed, it marks the first Storm Shadow strike in months, reigniting fears among Putin’s inner circle.
Journalist Ivan Yakovina said: “Clear results of the recent NATO summit — cruise missiles supplied by the UK and France today destroyed the headquarters of the 8th Combined Arms Army in Donetsk and a massive depot with an oil terminal in Luhansk.
“There were massive casualties among Russian officers at the HQ.
“They were confident that Ukraine no longer had the means to strike at such depth, so they didn’t even bother to go down to the shelter during the alert. Dozens killed and wounded — an entire army has been crippled.”
Both Russian and Ukrainian sources confirmed the use of Britain’s bunker-busting Storm Shadow missiles in the strike.
The £800,000, GPS-guided missiles can travel at 600mph and evade air defences.
Russian officials, red-faced, admitted only that one woman had died and three others were injured. But the real toll is believed to be far higher.
Major fires were also reported in Russian-occupied Luhansk, where an oil terminal was hit, and in Rostov and near the Crimean Bridge, which was briefly closed.
Elsewhere, explosions rocked Saratov and Engels, key strategic sites including Russia’s strategic bomber bases, while Russia retaliated with attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region, hitting homes and businesses.
