In a daring and symbolically significant move, Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a Moscow-area microchip factory. The Tomilinsky electronics factory, located in Lyubertsy to the east of Moscow, is a known producer of microchips essential for missile production, notably Russia’s Kalibr cruise missiles. This strike was a clear attempt to disrupt what Ukraine referred to as “Russia’s missile terror.”
The extent of the damage at the factory remains uncertain. Initially, Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that a drone en route to the factory had been successfully disabled near Lyubertsy, causing no harm. Contradicting this, Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence reported that the factory had been set on fire.
Andiy Yusov, a GUR spokesman, accused Sobyanin of spreading disinformation, stating, “Sobyanin has lied: their air defense did not shoot down anything. The Tomilinsky electronics factory in Lyubertsy is on fire.”
The strike is believed to have potentially disrupted the supply of microchips necessary for Russia’s Kalibr cruise missiles, which have been frequently used in attacks on Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
An unnamed GUR official confirmed the agency’s involvement in the operation, describing it as a success. In a separate incident, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Maj Gen Kyrylo Budanov, claimed that a recent drone attack on a Russian airbase that destroyed several military transport aircraft was launched from within Russia itself.
This contradicted pro-war commentators in Russia who had argued that the Pskov airbase, located over 400 miles from Ukraine near the border with Estonia and Latvia, was too remote for Ukrainian involvement.
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Escalating Tensions
Maj Gen Budanov did not specify whether the attack was carried out by Russian saboteurs or Ukrainian forces inside Russia but emphasized that the operation originated from Russian territory. The GUR released satellite images of the Pskov airfield showing significant damage to two IL-76 transport planes.
In response, the Kremlin announced that military experts were working to determine drone routes to prevent similar incidents. The Tomilinsky Electronic Factory, where the drone strike occurred, does not explicitly state its involvement in missile production on its website but instead highlights its production of semiconductor diodes used in civilian products like microwave ovens.
Ukraine had previously imposed sanctions on the factory earlier this year, alleging its critical role in supplying missile components to the Russian army. Newer Russian missiles, such as the Kalibr, depend on imported or domestically manufactured microchips, and only a few factories in Russia are believed capable of producing these components.
Andriy Yermak, Volodomyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, emphasized the need to cut off Russia’s military industrial complex from semiconductors and microchips to halt “Russia’s missile terror.” He stated that Ukraine was working with partner governments to achieve this goal.
Mr. Yermak has repeatedly urged Ukraine’s Western allies to take action to restrict Russia’s access to microchips and other supplies essential for missile production. In August, he revealed that Russian rockets fired at Ukraine contained foreign-made microchips produced as recently as April of that year.
Despite Russian claims of increased military production, there are indications that supplies may be dwindling after more than 18 months of war. Pavel Luzin, a visiting scholar at Tufts University, noted that Russia’s increased microchip output compared to five years ago did not consider the demands of the ongoing conflict.
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Source: Yahoo News
