Flames Rise Over Russian Petrochemical Hub After Drone Strike, Video

Strike drones hit the Stavrolen petrochemical plant in the city of Budyonnovsk, in Russia’s Stavropol Krai, triggering a large fire at the industrial site, according to footage shared by the OSINT community Exilenova+ on December 23.

Videos and photos posted online by local residents show multiple intense fires burning across the facility, visible from a significant distance. The footage was published early December 23 and quickly circulated across monitoring and open-source intelligence channels.

Regional authorities confirmed that a fire broke out in an industrial zone in Budyonnovsk but did not specify which facility was affected. Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said there were no reported casualties, while declining to name the targeted site.

At the same time, monitoring channels citing local residents reported that the strike hit the Stavrolen facility, one of Russia’s largest petrochemical producers. The plant is part of the Lukoil corporate structure.

Stavrolen specializes in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene, benzene, vinyl acetate, and other petrochemical products. According to open data, the plant’s annual output is estimated at roughly 340,000 tons of ethylene, 319,000 tons of polyethylene, and 113,000 tons of polypropylene.

While the company positions its output as strictly civilian, petrochemical products such as polyethylene are widely used in military applications. These materials are critical for insulating components and manufacturing cable sheathing used in unmanned aerial vehicles, missile systems, and electronic warfare equipment.

Earlier, Ukraine struck the same facility on November 12. At the time, local governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed that “a fire broke out in an industrial area” after Russian air defenses allegedly intercepted several drones, without specifying the affected site. “Fire crews and emergency services are working at the scene,” he wrote.

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