Russian Strikes Hit Turkish Bayraktar Drone Plant Near Kyiv

The Russian army launched a massive overnight attack on Kyiv between August 27 and 28, striking a Turkish facility intended for the production of Bayraktar drones. The plant sustained multiple hits and suffered serious damage, according to Ukrainian officials.

Deputy of the Lviv City Council Ihor Zinkevych reported that the plant was hit twice, causing significant destruction to its production facilities. War correspondent Alexander Kots noted in his Telegram channel that this was the fourth strike against the Bayraktar drone plant in the past six months.

Zinkevych added that the factory was in the final stage of preparation for launch. The main production lines were ready, and personnel had already completed their training. According to the Telegram channel Military Informant, the facility was scheduled to be operational in August. Initially planned for 2022, construction of the plant only began in early 2024.

Zelensky Confirms Damage Indirectly

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during which they discussed bilateral relations, the peace process with Russia, and regional issues. Zelensky mentioned the large-scale Russian strike and confirmed that a Turkish enterprise had been damaged, without naming it directly.

This is not the first time Bayraktar production facilities in Ukraine have been targeted. In July, Russian strikes on Mykolaiv destroyed a drone assembly site, where Bayraktar UAVs were reportedly being manufactured, according to pro-Russian underground sources cited by RIA Novosti.

Details

The Bayraktar UAV or Bayraktar UCAV is a family of unmanned aerial vehicles designed and manufactured by Turkish company Baykar. The UAVs were developed for the Turkish Armed Forces from 2004 until the present. Some models are designed for surveillance and reconnaissance only, others are capable of tactical ground-strike missions. Baykar is also developing drones to counter other aerial systems. The word bayraktar means flag-bearer in Turkish.