Ukrainian drones hit a unique optical fiber factory after traveling up to 1,500 km in Russia

During the night of April 5, Ukraine led a large-scale drone attack against Russia, successfully striking several installations linked to the country’s defense-industrial complex. Among the main targets was the Optikvolokonnye Sistemy factory, the only Russian fiber optic cable manufacturer used in drones and other applications. The Russian army has increasingly used drones exploited via optical fibers on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Local telegram channels have shared images of the consequences, and the chief of the Republic of Mordovia, Artyom Zdunov, confirmed the strike of an unpertified “company”. He said the security and emergency services were already working on the spot and said there were no victims. The company’s production premises are located in the city of Saransk.

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Open sources indicate that OptikoVolokonnye’s selism produces about four million kilometers of fibers per year. Although the extent of the damage is not clear, the strike could disrupt the production of fiber optic drones by Russia, which is now an effective active in the battlefield.

The next morning, Vyacheslav Fedishchev, governor of the Samara region, reported that Ukrainian drones had also attacked an industrial installation in Chapayevsk, causing a fire.

Although he did not specify the target, it is probably promsintez JSC, a factory producing more than 30,000 tonnes of explosives per year. Another key installation of Chapayevsk is the Polimer factory, which also manufactures explosives.

pic.twitter.com/5alfkxakde– Tracey sbu fella #nafo (@trajaykay) April 5, 2025

The targeted installations are located deep inside Russia: one of Saransk is approximately 670 kilometers from the border of Ukraine and the other in Chapayevsk is approximately 900 kilometers from the battle.

However, the Russian media affiliated with the state assume that drones may have traveled up to 1,500 kilometers, provided they are not in a straight line but have followed a more complicated route to escape the enemy aerial defenses.

Officially, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had intercepted 49 drones in total, including three on Mordovia and six on the Samara region.

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