Drones Hit Huge Russian Explosives Plant – 900 km Behind Lines

Drones attacked the Sverdlov Plant in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region – one of Russia’s largest explosives manufacturers – sparking a fire early Monday morning, Oct. 6, according to local reports and authorities.

The facility is located roughly 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

According to the ASTRA Telegram channel, explosions began around 2:30 a.m. local time, with residents reporting between 25 and 30 blasts within an hour. Bright flashes lit up the sky, and the shockwaves set off car alarms across the town.

Eyewitnesses said the drones targeted the Sverdlov Plant, a key enterprise in Russia’s military-industrial complex.

Regional governor Gleb Nikitin said air defenses intercepted about 20 drones near the Dzerzhinsk industrial zone. One person was injured, and debris reportedly caused fires in the private sector, which have since been extinguished.

Several buildings sustained damage, including broken windows and a gas station roof, though authorities claim industrial facilities were unharmed.

After a previous large-scale strike in October 2024, Kyiv Post’s sources in Ukraine’s special services confirmed that a massive wave of Ukrainian drones had struck the Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk.

The facility has been targeted multiple times during the war. In April 2025, three drones hit the plant, damaging two workshops and a pipeline.

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The General Staff reported at 13:21 on Telegram that units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck the infrastructure of the Sverdlov Plant early on Oct. 6.

“Numerous explosions and a fire were recorded in the target area,” the statement said.

The Sverdlov Plant is one of Russia’s largest explosives producers, capable of manufacturing and equipping almost all types of munitions - including aerial and artillery shells, guided aerial bombs, warheads for anti-tank and air defense missiles, as well as engineering ammunition.

The plant also participates in the development of unified glide munitions through inter-service cooperation.

The plant is under sanctions by the EU, US, UK, Japan, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

Kyiv Post reported last week that Ukrainian drones struck one of Russia’s largest chemical facilities – the Azot plant in the town of Berezniki, Perm Krai – regional governor Dmitry Makhonin confirmed.

“Azot experienced a brief production interruption, but the plant is now operating normally. There are no environmental risks, and residents are safe,” Makhonin wrote on Telegram.

The Azot plant, owned by billionaire Dmitry Mazepin’s Uralchem holding, is Russia’s only producer of higher aliphatic amines, sodium nitrate, and crystalline sodium nitrite. Its key products include ammonium nitrate, liquid ammonia, urea, nitric acid, and nitrite-nitrate salts – materials widely used in both agriculture and explosives production.

Residents reported hearing two powerful explosions near the plant on Thursday evening, Oct. 2, with eyewitnesses claiming that three drones were involved.

The strike occurred more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) from the Ukrainian border.