A Ukrainian drone strike on a fertiliser plant in Russia’s western Smolensk region has left seven people dead and 10 others injured, according to Russian officials.
The attack targeted PJSC Dorogobuzh, a nitrogen fertiliser plant located near the town of Dorogobuzh, about 290 kilometres (180 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Smolensk region governor Vasily Anokhin said the facility, which he described as a civilian industrial site, was hit overnight. “The enemy struck PJSC Dorogobuzh, a civilian plant producing nitrogen fertiliser,” Anokhin wrote in a post on Telegram.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which handles major criminal cases, later confirmed that seven people had been killed, revising earlier casualty figures. If verified, it would rank among the deadliest strikes on a Russian industrial facility since the start of the war four years ago.
Authorities said Ukraine launched “at least 30 drones equipped with explosive devices,” causing what they described as significant damage to the plant. Unverified footage circulating on social media appeared to show flames engulfing parts of the facility, with thick smoke rising into the night sky.
Emergency services reportedly contained the fires by Wednesday morning. Governor Anokhin added that officials were considering evacuating residents from a nearby village as a precaution. Russian media previously reported that the same plant was targeted in an attack in December last year.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the latest strike. Kyiv has consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians, saying its cross-border drone attacks are aimed at military and industrial facilities that support Russia’s war effort.
Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian forces have carried out thousands of drone strikes inside Russian territory. Many of the attacks have focused on oil depots, gas facilities and other strategic industrial sites, causing extensive financial damage.
Kyiv has described such operations as retaliatory measures in response to Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
