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Ukraine Targets Russia’s Only Plant Producing Key Chemical for Military Body Armor in Bashkortostan
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A Ukrainian drone attack reportedly struck the Bashkir Soda Company chemical plant in Sterlitamak, Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, on the morning of October 29, with thick white smoke seen rising from the facility.
According to Russian media outlet ASTRA, the strike occurred after authorities issued a drone threat warning across the region.
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The Bashkir Soda Company is one of Russia’s largest chemical manufacturing complexes, producing a range of industrial chemicals, including soda ash, baking soda, polyvinyl chloride, hydrochloric acid, and dichloroethane.
The company is part of Roskhim, a major Russian chemical holding group.
Russia’s only producer of a key aramid precursor appears to have been hit in Sterlitamak.
— Meanwhile in Ukraine (@MeanwhileInUA) October 29, 2026
Russian authorities acknowledged damage at an industrial plant after eight drones attacked the city. OSINT geolocation places the smoke inside the Bashkir Soda Company complex.
BSK itself… pic.twitter.com/NLixTYtznR
Beyond its civilian industrial operations, the facility also manufactures materials used by Russia’s defense industry, including terephthaloyl chloride, a chemical compound used in the production of high-strength aramid fibers. The company is also listed in the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade’s classified register of defense enterprises.
The Bashkir Soda Company is reportedly the only producer of terephthaloyl chloride in Russia, making the facility a significant supplier of a chemical used in manufacturing protective military equipment.
Aramid fibers are widely used in the production of ballistic protection materials, including body armor, helmets, and other protective gear.
Sterlitamak, Bashkortostan: local residents report an attack and explosions. pic.twitter.com/BbiV41kZJa
— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) October 29, 2026
The reported strike follows another drone attack on a major Russian chemical facility just a day earlier.
On the night of October 28, a drone strike sparked a fire at the Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk, Russia’s Tula region. The facility is among the country’s largest producers of nitrogen fertilizers and has previously supplied chemicals to a manufacturer of military explosives.
Video footage published by the monitoring channel Exilenova+ on October 28 showed flames at the industrial complex following the reported attack. An analysis of the available imagery suggested that the plant’s AM-70 ammonia production unit may have been struck.
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