Ukrainian Drones Strike Russia’s Largest Chemical Plant as ‘Acron’ Goes Up in Flames

Drones attacked Russia’s Acron chemical plant in Velikyy Novgorod, causing fires, while Dorogobuzh and other facilities were also targeted, disrupting industrial and energy infrastructure.

During the night of December 11, drones attacked Russia. Explosions rang out in the city of Veliky Novgorod. According to preliminary reports, a chemical plant was hit. The city of Dorogobuzh in Russia’s Smolensk region was also attacked. Glavred reported this.

According to the Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+, the Acron chemical plant in Velikyy Novgorod was targeted.

The facility is one of Russia’s largest chemical producers, and part of its products and raw materials have dual-use applications, including serving as a key component in the production of explosives.

Residents of the city reported hearing explosions and seeing drones flying over during the night. Videos appeared on social media showing a large fire and glow above the industrial site.

The governor of Novgorod Oblast, Aleksandr Dronov, confirmed the attack at around 4 a.m., stating that air defense forces were active in the region.

Reference. Acron PJSC is the flagship company of the Group, located in the Northwest region of Russia. The production facilities of Acron PJSC were commissioned in the 1960s–1980s and later modernized in the 1990s–2000s. Several modern production units were built between 2006 and 2016. Since 2017, a new wave of modernization of existing facilities and construction of new ones has been underway as part of the Group’s updated development strategy through 2025. Acron PJSC produces a wide range of nitrogen and complex fertilizers, as well as industrial products.

Acron PJSC also includes a separate structural division that manages a fleet of railcars for transporting raw materials to the Group’s production facilities and delivering finished products to domestic consumers and seaports. The division uses more than 1,700 of its own wagons and tanks, and also rents additional rolling stock totaling over 2,000 railcars.

The city of Dorogobuzh in Smolensk Oblast was also attacked during the night, causing a fire. According to the Russian Telegram channel ASTRA, citing local residents, the target was Dorogobuzh PJSC, a producer of mineral fertilizers and industrial products.

The Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ claims that a CHP plant in the settlement of Verkhniodniprovskyi, Dorogobuzh district, was attacked. It is one of the region’s power plants with combined heat and electricity production.

“This combined heat and power plant has an electrical capacity of about 90 MW and a thermal capacity of over 240 Gcal/h, providing energy supply to industrial facilities and residential infrastructure in the region,” the report states.

Attack on Russian Territory – Latest News

As reported by Glavred, on the night of December 2, Chechnya experienced a massive attack by unidentified drones. The FSB building in the Achkhoy-Martan district was heavily damaged.

That same night, a large fire broke out in the city of Livny, Oryol Oblast, following the flight and explosions of unidentified drones. Local residents reported that the fire affected an oil refinery facility.

On the night of December 5, drones attacked Russia’s Samara Oblast. Eyewitnesses in Syzran reported hearing at least 5–7 loud explosions. Russians also reported sirens and a glow in the sky. A large-scale fire broke out at the site of the attack.

The region is home to the Syzran Oil Refinery, which belongs to the oil company Rosneft, currently under U.S. sanctions.

According to Reuters, citing two industry sources, the Syzran Oil Refinery halted oil processing after being damaged by a strike from a Ukrainian drone.

On the night of December 9, residents of Cheboksary reported explosions. The likely target of the attack was CHP-2.

How Russian Strikes Could Affect the End of the War: Expert Opinion

According to former head of the Luhansk military-civil administration, Heorhiy Tuka, if massive strikes on Moscow continue and intensify, Russian elites may begin to pressure Putin.

In the event of intensive and frequent attacks on the Russian capital, or obvious negative consequences caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian facilities — such as a catastrophic fuel shortage — this could push Putin to end the war.