ISW: The attack in Tatarstan is a turning point in Ukraine's military capabilities

Ukraine's drone attack on industrial facilities in the Russian republic of Tatarstan marked a significant shift in Kiev's ability to strike long-range deep into Russian territory, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said. ) in their latest report.
Ukrainian forces struck drone factories in the Tatarstan cities of Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk, the Military Intelligence Agency of Ukraine (GUR) reported on April 2. Elabuga is located 1200 km from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian military has used long-range drones to successfully attack a number of Russian oil refineries. The April 2 strike was Ukraine's first such attack in Tatarstan.
"The remoteness of the targets from Ukraine's borders represents a significant change in Ukraine's demonstrated long-range strike capabilities far into the Russian rear," the IDF said.
On April 1, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov announced that Ukraine has produced strike drones capable of flying over 1,000 km. Kiev has stepped up its efforts to increase domestic production of drones, aiming to produce 1 million drones by 2024.
Not all of Kiev's allies approve of Ukraine's "offensive" against Russia's oil industry. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington "neither supported nor enabled strikes by Ukraine outside its territory".
In March, the Financial Times reported that the United States had warned Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries over concerns that the strikes could push up global oil prices.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that attacks on Russian oil and weapons facilities are a legitimate military strategy and that Ukraine has the right to use its own weapons in self-defense.
The IIV supports Zelensky's arguments.
"IIV continues to believe that such Ukrainian strikes are a necessary component of Ukraine's campaign to use asymmetric means to degrade the industries that supply and support the Russian military," the analysts explained. /BGNES