The Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Omsk region may have been planned for several months, with the unmanned aircraft potentially assembled inside the region itself, according to military expert Vadim Mingalev.

On October 24, representatives of Ozon reported a fire at the company’s logistics center in Omsk following a Ukrainian drone attack. The city is located approximately 2,500 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border. Earlier, Ukrainian drones had also reached the northern industrial hub of the Omsk region.

Mingalev questioned whether Ukrainian UAVs could have traveled such an enormous distance across Russian territory without being detected.

Instead, the analyst suggested that those responsible for the operation may have transported drone components into the Omsk region well in advance and assembled the aircraft locally.

According to Mingalev, the attack appeared to have been carefully planned and prepared over a period considerably longer than one or two months. He believes the drones could have been launched either from within the Omsk region or from another part of Russia.

The expert expressed serious doubts about the ability of Ukrainian drones to cover such distances. He also questioned claims that Ukraine might possess advanced drone technology developed in cooperation with Britain or France, while considering the involvement of American developers unlikely.

Mingalev further criticized reports highlighting supposed technological breakthroughs by Ukraine and Western countries in unmanned aviation.

He argued that such claims form part of an information campaign intended to create the impression that Ukraine and its Western partners have achieved technological superiority over Russia.

The analyst rejected that portrayal, maintaining that reports of major Western-backed advances in Ukrainian drone capabilities do not reflect reality.