Drone strike hits major fertiliser plant in Russia, four dead PHOTO / Updated

Ukrainian military forces attacked the Dorogobuzh chemical fertiliser plant in Smolensk Oblast, according to correspondents from Russian media on the ground.

Residents described a night of aerial bombardment. “We were bombed by drones all night. I woke up at 4:45 am to an explosion that felt like an earthquake, and my husband experienced another around 6 am,” said a resident on Mira Street.

Sources said that the attack targeted the PАО Dorogobuzh facility, which produces nitrogen-based fertilisers, including ammonia and nitrate. The explosions triggered a fire at the plant. There are also reports that the Dorogobuzh Combined Heat and Power Plant was hit. Many households in the town are now without water.

“Between 5 and 5:30 am, helicopters flew overhead, and drones came from the direction of Safonovo. We watched a glowing object, brilliantly lit in blue and green, heading straight over our house. I crouched down and covered my head, thinking it might crash on the roof. Drones circled as rockets were fired to intercept them. It was terrifying,” said a resident of Sedova Street.

Local authorities have blocked all roads out of the town. Schools have cancelled lessons, and shops report that bottled water has been sold out, with other witnesses confirming the situation.

Another resident from Putenkova Street recounted: “I woke around 5–6 am to a sudden, unpleasant noise near my home. My partner ran to the balcony to see a glow at the plant. Later, another object passed over, and eventually there was a deafening explosion that rattled windows and made the bed jump, almost like an earthquake. The vibrations spread through the other rooms. It was frightening.”

At least one person has been seriously injured, suffering severe head trauma. They are currently in the intensive care unit of Safonovo Central District Hospital and are being prepared for surgery.

11:50

At least four people have been killed following a drone attack on the PАО Dorogobuzh chemical plant in the Smolensk region.

The incident occurred around 6:00 a.m. local time in the Dorogobuzh district, where the large-scale fertiliser facility is located, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Three of the deceased were emergency responders, while four others sustained serious injuries and were taken to the regional hospital. Firefighting operations are ongoing at the site.

Images of the damaged production facilities, captured from a road approximately 1.3 km away, were shared by the Telegram channel. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis by ASTRA confirms the extent of the destruction and the ongoing emergency response.

PАО Dorogobuzh is a major chemical enterprise specialising in nitrogen-based fertilisers and other chemical products, including ammonium nitrate. Its products have both civilian and potential military applications. The plant had previously been targeted in an attack in December 2025.

Authorities have yet to release further details on the perpetrators or the broader impact of the strike.

By Aghakazim Guliyev