A drone strike from Ukraine in the southern Krasnodar region early Thursday set off a fire at an industrial site, which multiple news sources have identified as a chemical plant, necessitating the evacuation of personnel.
Regional officials reported that the fire ignited when debris from a downed drone hit “one of the largest industrial enterprises” located in the Belorechensky district. The blaze was swiftly brought under control, and there were no reported injuries.
While officials did not disclose the name of the facility, pro-war bloggers and various Telegram news channels, including those connected to Russia’s security agencies, claimed that the target was EuroChem-Belorechensky Mineral Fertilizers, a significant player in the chemical production sector.
According to the Telegram news channel Astra, which cited an unnamed source affiliated with EuroChem, the plant was hit around 2 a.m., although the extent of the damage remained unclear. The Moscow Times was unable to confirm this information independently.
In 2022, the EU and UK imposed sanctions on EuroChem’s founder, Andrei Melnichenko. However, EuroChem itself is not subject to sanctions.
Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian chemical facilities, with some of these plants providing materials for explosives, as reported by Reuters.
On Thursday, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that it had intercepted 55 Ukrainian drones throughout the nation and in the annexed region of Crimea during the night.
