Ukraine strikes Russian chemical plant in biggest drone assault of the year

WEB DESK: Ukraine launched one of its largest overnight drone assaults of the war, reportedly striking a major chemical plant in Russia’s Tula region for the second time in two weeks as Kyiv steps up attacks on industrial facilities linked to Moscow’s war effort.

Russian regional authorities said an industrial site in the city of Novomoskovsk, around 200 kilometres south of Moscow, was damaged during the attack.

Although Governor Dmitry Milyayev did not identify the facility, Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels, as well as multiple media reports, said the target was the Azot chemical plant.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has previously described the Azot plant as a key supplier for Russia’s explosives production. The facility, which says it is Russia’s largest producer of ammonia and nitrogen fertilisers, was also hit in a Ukrainian drone strike on June 14.

The latest attack forms part of Ukraine’s broader strategy of targeting Russia’s industrial and energy infrastructure far from the battlefield in an effort to disrupt military production and impose economic costs on Moscow.

Ukrainian forces have increasingly focused on oil refineries, fuel terminals, ports and manufacturing facilities this year, often returning to strike the same locations within days or weeks to hamper repair work and delay the resumption of operations.

Governor Milyayev said electricity lines in the Tula region were also damaged during the overnight attack, while one woman was injured. Emergency services were responding to the affected areas, although authorities did not immediately disclose the full extent of the damage.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defence systems destroyed 660 Ukrainian drones over 12 Russian regions and Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.

State news agency TASS described it as the largest drone attack launched by Ukraine so far this year.

The latest wave of strikes comes as both sides continue to rely heavily on long-range drone operations, with Ukraine seeking to weaken Russia’s military-industrial capacity while Moscow presses on with its offensive along the front line.