A fire may have broken out at the Nevinnomyssk Azot plant in Russia’s southern Stavropol region after a drone strike, Russian independent media outlet Astra reported on the 16th of May, according to The Kyiv Independent.
The plant is one of the largest producers of fertilizers and chemicals in Russia, the products of which are used in the production of explosives. Andriy Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, previously described the facility as a “critical component” of Russia’s military-industrial complex.
The reported strike comes as Ukraine continues a campaign of long-range drone attacks on Russian military and industrial infrastructure that support Moscow’s war effort.
Nevinnomyssk Azot produces up to one million tons of ammonia and more than one million tons of ammonium nitrate annually, materials used in the production of explosives and artillery shells.
The Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova Plus published a video purporting to show a fire at the factory, adding that
local residents heard several explosions during the night.
Astra’s Telegram channel also reported a fire at the factory, citing eyewitness accounts and analysis of published photos and videos.
The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently verify this information. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has not officially commented on the alleged attack.
The facility is located about 250 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, which means it is within the range of Ukrainian long-range drones.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that air defense and electronic warfare units had intercepted 138 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions overnight. The Stavropol region was not mentioned in the ministry’s statement.
Stavropol Region Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed that the region had suffered a drone attack,
claiming that Russian air defense systems had “repelled the enemy drone attack.”
The Nevinnomyssk Azot plant has been the target of repeated attacks during the full-scale war, with previous strikes reported in March and January 2026, and several times in 2025.
Ukraine has increasingly used its own drones to strike targets deep inside Russia, particularly facilities related to oil refining, logistics, and the defense industry.
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