A steel fabrication plant in the town of Chekhov, in Moscow Oblast, was struck by Ukrainian drones, the Kyiv Independent reported on Tuesday, citing monitoring channels on Telegram. The plant reportedly struck was the Hydrostalkonstruktsiya steel fabrication factory.
Also struck, per the report, was a third-party logistics warehouse in the village of Koledino, south of Moscow.
Shahed Drone from Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
In addition, a blackout was reported in Crimea, also overnight.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed that 356 Ukrainian drones were shut down overnight, The Independent said.
Per i24 News, Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyov confirmed the attack on the steel fabrication plant in Chekhov and said the Crimea blackout occurred in Feodosia, where an electric substation was struck.
The strikes come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington for the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, as well as a planned meeting with President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal both published stories about the improving relationship between the two leaders. One of them noted that the two leaders might discuss a ceasefire and the type of long-range air strikes that have become an increasingly important part of the war.
The Trump/Zelensky Thaw
Trump, during the 2024 campaign, repeatedly promised to end the Russia/Ukraine war on his first day in office, implicitly by getting Kyiv to accept peace terms friendly to Moscow. In the opening weeks of Trump’s second presidency, the president and vice president dressed down Zelensky in an on-camera Oval Office meeting. This followed Trump’s first presidency, when he was frequently accused of excessive closeness to Putin, and a phone call to Zelensky in 2019 led to his first impeachment.
Neptune Missile from Ukraine Creative Commons Image
This has begun to change in recent months, as Trump, per multiple media reports, has begun to warm to Zelensky, while also showing greater sympathy than before to the Ukraine cause. Even Laura Loomer, one of Trump’s biggest loyalists on social media and formerly a major Ukraine skeptic, has reversed herself, visiting Ukraine and meeting with Zelensky this week.
The New York Times reported that the Trump/Zelensky relationship “appears stronger than ever before,” ahead of this week’s visit to Washington.
“At the meeting, Mr. Zelensky, still confronting domestic fallout over sacking both his defense minister and army chief, will be hoping to reboot stalled peace talks in Ukraine’s war against Russia and to push for more U.S. help with weapons, particularly air defense,” the Times reported. “It’s likely, analysts say, that the men will also discuss the potential of a cease-fire in long-range airstrikes between Russia and Ukraine.”
Experts quoted by the Times noted that Trump may be shifting towards Ukraine because of his need for a diplomatic win, amid the deepening U.S. engagement in Iran.
“Most importantly for both men,” Harry Nedelcu, a senior director at Rasmussen Global, told the Times, “this is a moment where they could validate each other’s diplomatic efforts and leverage each other. Trump could leverage Zelensky, and Zelensky could help him validate his own administration at a time when domestically, Trump is not doing very well.”
“Maybe Zelensky understands Trump a little better,” Volodymyr Dubovyk, director of the Center for International Studies at Odesa National University, told the Times. “Maybe Trump understands Zelensky a little bit better.”
A major part of the shift, per the Times? Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes are “projecting the kind of strength that Mr. Trump typically favors.”
“Impressed With Zelensky’s Resilience”
The Wall Street Journal’s analysis agrees with that sentiment. Trump, per the newspaper, spent a long time telling advisers that he thought Ukraine was losing the war, but has since become more of a believer in their battlefield success.
The president, per the Journal, has indicated that he is “impressed with Zelensky’s resilience as he takes the fight deep into Russian territory.”
A big change, it has been reported before, was when Trump and Zelensky met last year on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.
“The shift comes after several meetings on the sidelines of global summits where the Ukrainian president has tried to charm Trump, the people said, part of a concerted campaign by European leaders to improve the relationship. Trump has come to admire Ukraine’s drone industry, especially its ability to defend against the same drones the U.S. faces in the Iran war, the people said,” the Journal said.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
