The key facts

  • Exilenova+ reports a fire at the metallurgical plant in Lipetsk and strikes on the airfield
  • The channel also claimed an attack on the Azot plant in Novomoskovsk, Tula Region
  • Russian and Ukrainian officials had not commented at the time of publication

Fire at the metallurgical plant in Lipetsk

The OSINT channel Exilenova+ reported that Lipetsk was attacked with jet-powered drones, after which the metallurgical plant caught fire. According to the channel's analysis, based on open sources, one possible cause of the fire near the plant could have been the operation of the local air defense system. The channel published photos and videos from eyewitnesses which, it claims, show the guns of a Pantsir air defense system firing at targets. No independent confirmation of this interpretation or of the attack's consequences has been provided. The channel also noted that there is preliminary information about strikes and a fire on the territory of the military airfield in Lipetsk; the extent of the damage has not been disclosed. This was reported by Kun.uz citing the channel.

Report of a strike on the Azot plant in Novomoskovsk

Later, Exilenova+, citing local residents, reported an attack on the Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk, Tula Region, and a fire that broke out there. No details of the incident were given. Citing Ukrainian intelligence data, the channel indicated that this enterprise supplies nitric acid to the Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region, which produces explosives. At the time of publication, DW noted that the General Staff of Ukraine, the country's defense ministry, and Russian officials had not commented on these attacks.

Context: strike on the Energiya plant in Yelets

On October 25, an industrial site in the city of Yelets, Lipetsk Region, was attacked. The regional governor, Igor Artamonov, did not disclose either the name of the enterprise or the extent of the damage. According to the open-source analysis by the outlet Astra, the target was the Energiya plant, which produces power supply components for drones, missile systems, and other weaponry. Exilenova+ claimed that several Storm Shadow missiles were fired at the plant, at least two of which hit the buildings, and that one of the production buildings was seriously damaged. On October 26, the General Staff of Ukraine confirmed the strike on the enterprise and the damage inflicted, but did not specify the type of weapon used.