Ukraine Drone Attack Partially Destroys Russian Steel Plant Making Missiles

The plant produced 18% of Russia's total steel output and contributed to the manufacture of ballistic missiles. JL 

Brendan Cole reports in Newsweek:

Explosions have hit a Russian steelmaker following a suspected drone attack. The blaze at the main plant of Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) on Saturday morning, around 280 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border, was caused by a drone.  The plant is NLMK's primary production facility and specializes in flat steel products, making up 18% of Russian steel production. The destruction of the site, which produced raw materials for nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, will mean it will not be able to function for a long time. Footage showed an explosion and a large orange flame lighting up the night sky after the fire broke out around 1:40 a.m. local time.

Explosions have hit a Russian steelmaker following a suspected drone attack. It is the latest fire to hit an industrial facility in the country on the second anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

There has been a spike of drone strikes in recent months on energy and military infrastructure in Russia, which Moscow often blames on Ukraine. However, Kyiv often does not claim immediate responsibility. The Russians have used drones and missiles in widespread strikes on Ukrainians. Igor Artamonov, Lipetsk regional governor, said the blaze at the main plant of Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) on Saturday morning, around 280 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border, was caused by a drone. But Artamonov did not specifically mention Kyiv

 

Footage shared on social media showed an explosion and a large orange flame lighting up the night sky after the fire broke out around 1:40 a.m. local time.

 

The plant is NLMK's primary production facility and specializes in flat steel products, making up 18 percent of total Russian steel production. NLMK is a key asset for Vladimir Lisin, a Russian billionaire, the third-richest Russian on the Forbes list last year.Citing unnamed sources, Ukrainian news outlet TSN reported that the plant had been targeted by Ukraine's Security Service and Main Intelligence Directorate, and that the blaze had sparked a complete evacuation of workers.

The outlet said that the destruction of the site, which until recently produced raw materials for nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, will mean it will not be able to function for a long time. Russia's Ministry of Defense, which Newsweek has contacted for comment, reported that the Russians shot down two drones over the region, and also intercepted two more in the Kursk and Tula regions.

Suspected Ukrainian drone strikes are hitting crucial infrastructure targets deeper inside Russia, with oil refineries in the firing line.

 

Earlier this month, a fire broke out at the Lukoil site in Volgograd, 200 miles from the Ukrainian border, following a strike on the largest producer of petroleum products in the Russian Southern Federal District.

Days earlier, a drone caused an explosion at the Nevsky Mazut refinery in St. Petersburg. After being hit by a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system, it flew another 20 miles to strike its target.