Ukraine has struck one of Russia's largest explosives manufacturing facilities
On Wednesday night, Ukrainian drones attacked Dzerzhinsk in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. The likely target was a strategic explosives factory. A series of explosions rocked the city, and smoke rose above the facility following the strike.
This was reported by Russian Telegram channels.
On the night of April 30, Ukrainian drones attacked Dzerzhinsk in the Nizhny Novgorod region, local residents told the publication Shot. According to them, about 10 explosions were heard in various parts of the city.
Explosions were also heard in the southern and central parts of Kstovo, located near Nizhny Novgorod. Regional authorities have not officially commented on the raid. The target of the drones in Dzerzhinsk was the Y. M. Sverdlov Plant, according to an analysis of eyewitness videos and photos conducted by Astra. A column of smoke rose above the facility following the strike.
The Sverdlov Plant in Dzerzhinsk is one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of explosives, with a history spanning more than 100 years. It is part of the country’s military-industrial complex and is of strategic importance.
The facility is included on Kyiv’s sanctions list “for supporting actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine.”
The plant is also subject to sanctions from the U.S., the EU, the UK, Japan, and Switzerland. Ukrainian drones have previously attacked this facility—in particular, one of its workshops was damaged as a result of a strike in October 2024.
As a reminder, on the night of April 23, drones from the SBU’s “Alpha” Special Operations Center struck the “Gorky” oil pumping station in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. The attack caused a massive fire and resulted in damage to infrastructure.
In addition, five oil tanks were hit in the attack. On the night of April 21, drones from the SBU’s “Alpha” Special Operations Center struck the “Samara” line-production-dispatch station in Russia, after which a massive fire broke out there.
In the temporarily occupied Crimea, drones attacked an oil depot in the Kozacha Bay area of Sevastopol. The strike caused a fire.
On the morning of April 18, drones attacked an oil refinery in the city of Novokuybyshevsk in Russia’s Samara Oblast. The strike caused a fire at the facility.
