Explosions heard in Samara: reports of a possible missile strike on ’Progress’ space centre. VIDEO&PHOTOS
On the night of 15 August, a series of explosions rocked the Russian city of Samara. The strike is believed to have targeted an industrial zone housing enterprises belonging to the Russian defence industry.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing Russian Telegram channels and OSINT communities.
According to monitoring channels, the explosions took place in the vicinity of Zemetsa Street. A plume of smoke was subsequently seen rising above the industrial zone.
It is not yet known which specific facility may have been the target of the attack. The ‘Aviakor’ and ‘Progress’ R&D Centre facilities are located a few hundred metres apart.
Denis Shtilerman, co-owner and chief designer of the defence company Fire Point, has published a video that may be linked to the attack. The footage shows, in particular, missiles being launched.
At the time of publication, there has been no official confirmation from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine regarding the destruction of a specific Russian facility.
Earlier in the morning, Samara’s mayor, Ivan Noskov, stated that industrial infrastructure had been damaged as a result of the missile strikes.
What is known about "Aviakor"
"Aviakor" is one of Russia’s major aircraft manufacturing enterprises. During the Soviet era, the plant mass-produced, among other things, Tu-95 strategic bombers and Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft.
The company was also involved in the repair and modernisation of Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers, which the Russian Federation is using to carry out strikes against Ukraine.
Today, the plant is engaged in the repair and maintenance of aircraft, as well as the production of components and parts.
The ‘Progress’ Rocket and Space Centre works for the Russian rocket and space industry
The ‘Progress’ Rocket and Space Centre is one of the key enterprises in the Russian rocket and space industry. It develops and manufactures launch vehicles and spacecraft.
The company, formerly known as the Progress Central Design Bureau (TsSKB), was involved in the production of the Vostok launch vehicle, which was used to launch the spacecraft carrying Yuri Gagarin into orbit in 1961.
Currently, the Progress Rocket and Space Centre produces launch vehicles from the Soyuz-2 family and is working on promising space projects. The company is subject to international sanctions due to its links with the Russian military-industrial complex.
