The Biggest Factory Powering Russia’s Missiles Comes Under Drone Attack, Video

Drones struck production facilities at Russia’s largest manufacturer of power sources used in military hardware, according to footage circulating online and published by the Russian outlet Astra on January 4.

The attack reportedly targeted the Energiya plant in the city of Yelets, a key industrial hub in western Russia. Local officials acknowledged drone activity in the area, with Mayor Vyacheslav Zhabin confirming that the incident began early in the morning.

Air raid warnings were declared across the entire Lipetsk region, and residents reported hearing air defense systems operating near the regional capital. Local users also noted widespread mobile network outages during the incident.

Energiya is a major Russian defense-linked enterprise specializing in the production of sealed lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, and lithium-ion batteries, along with uninterruptible power supplies and other electrochemical power sources manufactured to military standards.

Its products are used across a broad range of Russian weapons systems—from tactical drones to intercontinental ballistic missiles. Batteries produced by the plant have previously been identified in the 9M723 Iskander ballistic missile, glide bombs equipped with UMPK kits, and the Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missile.

Russian contractor-tracking databases indicate that Energiya holds multi-million-dollar contracts with more than twenty defense-sector customers, including direct agreements with Russia’s Ministry of Defense and other firms within the country’s military-industrial complex.

Industry analysts consider Energiya a critical bottleneck in Russia’s weapons production ecosystem. Only three facilities inside Russia are known to have similar specialization, and Energiya is the largest among them, making any disruption to its operations potentially significant for Moscow’s ability to sustain high-end weapons manufacturing.

Earlier, strike drones attacked a major oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region. Explosions were heard in the city of Novokuybyshevsk, with videos showing what appeared to be a large fire at the Rosneft–owned Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery.

The Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery is part of Rosneft’s production network and has an annual processing capacity of approximately 8.8 million metric tons of crude oil—roughly 176,000 barrels per day.

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