Mineral fertiliser plant in Russia's Veliky Novgorod catches fire after attack — ASTRA PHOTO / VIDEO

The Acron mineral fertiliser plant in Russia's Veliky Novgorod has been attacked, the Telegram channel ASTRA reports, citing local residents. 

According to an open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis by ASTRA based on eyewitness footage, the attack triggered fire in the facility's site.

During the night of December 10 to 11, residents of Veliky Novgorod reported explosions and a fire at the Acron PJSC plant. The regional governor wrote that air defence systems were operating.

According to ASTRA’s analysis, one eyewitness photo showing the fire was taken from Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street — the distance from the shooting location to the plant is about 8 km. “The area where a fire could be occurring overlaps with Acron, but the available footage does not allow us to confirm a fire at the plant itself,” an ASTRA OSINT analyst said.

Another video capturing the moment of an explosion was filmed from Derzhavin Street. The distance from that point to the plant is 8.5 km.

Acron PJSC is a producer of mineral fertilisers and industrial products located in Veliky Novgorod. According to the company’s website, Acron manufactures a broad range of nitrogen and complex fertilisers, as well as industrial products. The company also includes a separate structural division that manages a fleet of railway wagons used to transport raw materials to its production facilities.

The company’s products include ammonium nitrate, whose components can have industrial applications in both civilian and military sectors.

By Khagan Isayev