Fire Erupts at Russian Factory Producing Over Half of the Country’s Artillery Shells

A major Russian defense manufacturing facility in the city of Orsk, in the Orenburg region, was engulfed in flames, according to Russian outlet Astra on December 12.

Videos and photos circulating on social media show a large fire at the site, with Russian media outlets confirming that an industrial facility was burning.

The blaze reportedly broke out at the Orsk Mechanical Plant, a factory that officially produces more than half of Russia’s artillery shell casings for certain calibers. The plant is also known to manufacture components for multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), which Russian forces have been using extensively in their war against Ukraine.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry acknowledged that a fire had occurred at an industrial site in the region, but stopped short of identifying the specific facility involved. Local authorities in Orsk have so far declined to comment publicly on the incident.

According to emergency officials, 29 firefighters and nine pieces of equipment were deployed to contain the fire at the industrial complex.

This is not the first fire reported at the facility this year. On July 11, Russian officials claimed that a previous blaze at the plant was caused by ignited solvent and paint inside a coating workshop.

The Orsk Mechanical Plant plays a direct role in supplying Russia’s forces. According to Ukrainian defense media Militarnyi, in the summer of 2022 that the factory had doubled production of steel artillery shell casings—known as product 4G5—for 122mm D-30 howitzers, reflecting a broader surge in ammunition manufacturing driven by the war.

Earlier, drones struck the Nevinnomysskiy Azot chemical plant, a facility tied to Russia’s production chain for explosive materials and solid rocket fuel.

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