Smoke Rises Over Major Russian Explosives Plant After Overnight Drone Attack

The facility, one of Russia’s largest explosives manufacturers, is located approximately 760 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

During the night of August 19, a massive drone attack was reported over Dzerzhinsk in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region, accompanied by thick smoke rising over the city.

According to ASTRA, the likely source of the smoke was the territory of the Ya. M. Sverdlov Plant, a major Russian manufacturer of explosives and ammunition.

The Federal State Enterprise “Ya. M. Sverdlov Plant” is located in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region, and is considered one of Russia’s largest producers of explosives and ammunition. The plant has a history spanning approximately 100 years and is part of the state-owned Rostec corporation. It plays an important role in Russia’s defense industry and remains the country’s only industrial producer of HMX (octogen) and RDX (hexogen), powerful high explosives used in the manufacture of military munitions.

The enterprise occupies an area of approximately 1,100 hectares, containing more than 1,000 buildings, as well as its own thermal power plant and railway infrastructure.

One of the plant’s primary activities is the loading and assembly of high-explosive aerial bombs, including FAB-500 and FAB-1500 bombs, guided aerial bombs, and various types of artillery shells. These weapons are extensively used by Russian forces in strikes against Ukraine.

ASTRA reports that Ukraine has included the plant on its sanctions list for supporting actions that undermine or threaten Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. The enterprise was also placed under European Union sanctions in June 2023. Sanctions against the plant are additionally in force in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Switzerland.

The major Russian explosives manufacturer is located approximately 760 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, placing the facility deep inside Russian territory.

This is not the first reported drone attack involving the plant. On the night of April 30, several explosions were also reported in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region. At the time, local residents likewise reported a drone attack targeting the Sverdlov explosives plant.

The latest reports of a large-scale drone attack and smoke over the facility come amid continued Ukrainian efforts to target Russian military-industrial infrastructure involved in the production of weapons and ammunition used against Ukraine.

EMPR