Russia’s Largest Southern Chemical Plant Linked to Explosives Production Hit in Drone Attack

Drones attacked Nevinnomyssk Azot, the largest chemical plant in southern Russia, overnight, reportedly triggering a fire at the facility in Stavropol Krai, Russian media outlet Astra reported on May 20.

The plant is located in the city of Nevinnomyssk. Residents reported explosions and a fire in the industrial zone during the night, while the city’s mayor confirmed a drone attack and urged residents to leave the streets and move to shelters.

A photo showing the glow from the fire was reportedly taken from Kalinina Street, around 4.7 kilometers from the chemical plant. According to Astra, the available visual evidence suggests the fire may have broken out on or near the plant’s territory.

This is believed to be at least the seventh attack on Nevinnomyssk Azot since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. A previous drone strike caused a fire at the site overnight on May 15–16. Another attack was reported on March 19, when local residents claimed there had been four impacts and a strong unpleasant smell in the city.

Similar strikes were also reported in January 2026, as well as in December, July, and August 2025.

Nevinnomyssk Azot is Russia’s largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers and ammonia and is part of the EuroChem group. The plant also manufactures dual-use products that can be relevant to military supply chains.

Its production capacity exceeds 1 million tons of ammonia and 1.4 million tons of ammonium nitrate per year, while annual urea production reaches around 890,000 tons.

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According to Reuters, from 2022 to 2024, two EuroChem plants—Nevinnomyssk Azot and Novomoskovsk Azot—sent at least 38,000 tons of acetic acid and nearly 5,000 tons of nitric acid to the Sverdlov plant in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region.

Those components are used in the production of explosives, including HMX and RDX, which are used in artillery ammunition.

This plant was also hit on May 16, causing a fire at one of the country’s largest nitrogen fertilizer producers.

Stavropol region governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed that drones had targeted the region overnight but claimed Russian air defenses repelled the attack and that there was “no destruction on the ground.”

Earlier, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a major Russian oil refinery and an oil pumping station in separate operations.

On May 18, Ukrainian units targeted the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in the city of Kstovo in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. A fire was reported on the territory of the facility following the strike, while the extent of the damage is still being assessed.

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