Ukrainian drones attack Russia’s Plesetsk military spaceport
Russian spaceports, indicated by red dots.
In another demonstration that the Ukraine is now willing and able to hit Russian infrastructure deep within its borders, it yesterday conducted a drone attack on Russia’s Plesetsk military spaceport in northwest Russia, where it tests its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile as well as launches military and Rassvet Starlink-copy satellites, all of which the Ukraine considers military assets.
This morning, a drone alert was issued in the Arkhangelsk Region. Governor Alexander Tsybulsky urged residents to seek shelter and warned of mobile internet outages. He did not provide any information on the consequences of the attack. Drones were first spotted over Pinega the previous day. District Governor Lyudmila Kolik stated that the attack targeted “strategic facilities.” A total of 40 drones were destroyed over the region. No injuries were reported. Authorities had previously issued warnings about the drone threat on August 12 and 1.
As of writing there have been no reports outlining any damage at the spaceport. One significant indicator that the drones did limited damage was the successful launch yesterday by Russia of a payload of “satellites and military space equipment”, launched by a Soyuz-2 rocket from Plesetsk during the evening.
The leaders in the 2026 launch race:
102 SpaceX
55 China
12 Rocket Lab (plus two suborbital HASTE launches)
11 Russia
For the third straight year SpaceX leads the entire world combined in total launches, 102 to 94.
This is the second confirmed attack by the Ukraine on Russian space assets in just over a week. On August 15, 2026 it used Flamingo missiles to attack and damage the Russian factory where it manufacturers the Soyuz-2 rocket used to launch astronauts as well as military and Rassvet satellites. In both attacks the Ukraine demonstrated it not only has the capability of hitting these locations, it is willing to attack them repeatedly.
For the Russians, this makes launching military or Rassvet satellites from Plesetsk very difficult. It must announce notices to airman prior to any launch to avoid any conflicts in the air, but by doing so it also tells the Ukraine there is a juicy target there. The attack yesterday was likely aimed at stopping that Soyuz-2 launch, and while it apparently failed the Ukraine is likely to try again.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Heavy equipment is rather drone resistant due to mass. Early in the conflict, all a Russian drone could do is flatten a tire of an old field piece the Ukes had.
A drone with an air-to-air capability *might* be a threat to a rocket at launch, unless it is a heat-seeker that would dissolve in the larger rocket’s exhaust.
Any liquid-fueled rocket on the pad and fueled is a ripe target. Any serious explosion alongside could/would rupture a fuel tank, and if both were damaged, the results would be visible on satellite…
This strike was likely, at least for the most part, a reconnaissance-in-force effort to locate and characterize air defenses around Plesetsk. Any damage inflicted would be gravy. Ukraine now likely has the data needed to properly size a strike package that could both destroy or seriously degrade Plesetsk’s air defenses and also achieve some consequential infrastructure damage. This ain’t over.
You don’t think the air defences will be beefed up next time? Or they announce a launch but never really planned to have one?
I am sure Ukraine has insurgents inside Russia that are watching the targets for changes.
they might even be checking for the radar frequencies and the time they are on. Finding all the weaknesses and naked corridors.
We look at these Ukraine attacks on Russia and vice versa and wonder how one side will react to the other or how either is able to perform the attack or how they will defend against this.
The real things we need to do is figure out – and quickly – how we are going to avoid and defend from these attacks. These drones are finding targets deep within Mother Russia. These drones are either traversing great distances undetected (don’t think so) or being built and launched within Russia.
We have great loads of foreign made stuff entering ports and airports around the US every hour. We can’t inspect most of it. There could be anything in these boxes. There are also many undocumented (actually a word that fits here well) persons within the US.
I have had many family members in the Services (mostly AF). When I have visited them and gone on base the amount of our gear open to a drone attack is staggering.
If this comes our way; and it is sure to come our way, we will be very far behind.
What are the privacy implications for a Zelle? What shows up on your end?
All the recipients ever see is the name of the sender and the amount which has been deposited in their chosen account. No contact info.