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Drones Strike Russian Key Chemical Facility Linked to Explosives Production, Video

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Vlad Litnarovych
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Drones Strike Russian Key Chemical Facility Linked to Explosives Production, Video
Freight trains stand outside the OAO EuroChem fertilizer plant Azot in Novomoskovsk, Tula region, Russia, on August 11, 2011. (Source: Getty Images)

Drones struck a major chemical plant in Russia’s Tula region, reportedly causing damage to acid storage tanks and prompting evacuations in nearby areas, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation on May 24.

The strike targeted the “Azot ” chemical facility in the city of Novomoskovsk, one of Russia’s largest producers of ammonia and nitrogen-based fertilizers.

“The Azot chemical plant in the Tula region of Russia has been hit. Some of the chemicals produced at Azot can be used for military purposes:

  • Ammonium nitrate: used as a component for the production of explosives.

  • Methanol: can serve as a raw material for the production of fuels, including components for rocket fuel.

  • Argon: an inert gas used in metallurgy, in particular for welding and heat treatment of metals that can be used in the defense industry,” Kovalenko wrote.

Residents reported a large fire following the early morning drone strike. According to Russian media outlet ASTRA, the attack damaged acid storage containers at the site and caused injuries to three people.

“During the emergency response at the Novomoskovsk facility, which was hit by a drone early this morning, damage to acid storage tanks was discovered. Rospotrebnadzor laboratories and emergency services are on-site. Air samples have not shown dangerous concentrations of harmful substances,” the regional governor Dmintiy Milyaev stated.

While no official evacuation order has been announced, residents in Grytsovo, a village located roughly 10 kilometers from the plant, reported being evacuated as a precaution, ASTRA reported.

Residents also claimed the drones struck multiple production areas, including “Ammonia-2,” “Urea-2,” and “Workshop 5A.” Satellite-based factory layouts reviewed by ASTRA suggest these facilities are located close together.

Azot is part of the EuroChem Group and serves as one of Russia’s most important chemical production hubs.

The site has the capability to produce explosive precursors, such as ammonium nitrate and high-purity nitric acid, both commonly used in munitions manufacturing.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that only one drone was downed over the Tula region but claimed that over 100 Ukrainian drones targeted sites across Russia overnight. These claims cannot be independently verified.

Earlier, a wave of drone strikes targeted several Russian regions on the night of May 22 and into the early hours of May 23. Many of the UAVs were reportedly headed for Moscow, while in the city of Yelets in the Lipetsk region, a key target was the “Energia” plant, which manufactures equipment for the Russian military.

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Russian: “Азот”, lit. “Nitrogen”