Ukrainian drones suspected in attack on Russia's Dzerzhinsk explosives factory PHOTO / VIDEO

Residents of the Russian city of Dzerzhinsk reported a series of explosions overnight on April 30, followed by what they described as a strike on a local explosives plant. Smoke was later observed in the area of the Komsomolsky microdistrict, approximately 2.5 kilometres from the facility’s perimeter.

According to an OSINT analysis by ASTRA, video footage from the scene confirms that smoke was rising from the direction of the plant. However, analysts emphasised that the available footage does not allow for a precise determination of what exactly caught fire following the reported drone attack.

The targeted facility is the Y. M. Sverdlov Plant, a key enterprise in Dzerzhinsk and part of Russia’s military-industrial complex. The plant is one of the country’s largest producers of explosives, with a history spanning more than a century, and holds strategic importance for the defence sector.

The enterprise has been placed under sanctions by Ukraine for “supporting actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.” Since June 23, 2023, it has also been subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union, as well as by the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Switzerland.

ASTRA has previously reported multiple Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the same facility.

By Tamilla Hasanova