ASTRA: Fire breaks out at “Azot” chemical plant in Russia’s Stavropol PHOTO

A fire has reportedly broken out at the Azot chemical plant in Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol region, Russia, following an attack, according to an OSINT analysis by ASTRA.

Residents of Nevinnomyssk reported explosions and a subsequent fire during the night of May 20, with the city’s mayor also confirming that an attack had taken place.

OSINT analysts at ASTRA assessed that the blaze most likely occurred on the premises of the Azot chemical facility. An image showing a glow from the fire, published by eyewitnesses, was reportedly taken from Kalinina Street, approximately 4.7 kilometres from the plant.

The incident is described as at least the seventh attack on the facility since the start of the full-scale war.

The plant was previously targeted in May 2026, March 2026, January 2026, December 2025, and August 2025. Local residents also reported an attack on July 25, 2025. On June 14, 2025, according to ASTRA, a strike involving 13 UAVs damaged the Nevinnomyssky Azot plant, including broken doors, windows, and workshop facilities, as well as damage to a canteen roof and anti-drone defences. Around 800 employees reportedly sheltered in a bunker during that incident, with no evacuation carried out, and operations were temporarily suspended.

Earlier reporting by Reuters noted that two EuroChem facilities—the Nevinnomyssk Azot plant and the Novomoskovsk Azot plant—sent at least 38,000 tons of acetic acid and nearly 5,000 tons of nitric acid between 2022 and 2024 to the Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk. These chemicals are used in the production of HMX and RDX, which are in turn used for artillery munitions.

By Jeyhun Aghazada