Explosions Rock Massive Russian Steel Plant After Drone Attack

Explosions have hit a Russian steelmaker following a suspected drone attack. It is the latest fire to hit an industrial facility in the country on the second anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

There has been a spike of drone strikes in recent months on energy and military infrastructure in Russia, which Moscow often blames on Ukraine. However, Kyiv often does not claim immediate responsibility. The Russians have used drones and missiles in widespread strikes on Ukrainian civilian targets.

Igor Artamonov, Lipetsk regional governor, said the blaze at the main plant of Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) on Saturday morning, around 280 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border, was caused by a drone. But Artamonov did not specifically mention Kyiv and added there were no casualties.

Footage shared on social media showed an explosion and a large orange flame lighting up the night sky after the fire broke out around 1:40 a.m. local time.

The plant is NLMK's primary production facility and specializes in flat steel products, making up 18 percent of total Russian steel production. NLMK is a key asset for Vladimir Lisin, a Russian billionaire, the third-richest Russian on the Forbes list last year.

Citing unnamed sources, Ukrainian news outlet TSN reported that the plant had been targeted by Ukraine's Security Service and Main Intelligence Directorate, and that the blaze had sparked a complete evacuation of workers.

NLMK rejected these claims, telling Newsweek by email "there was no complete evacuation of workers. The fall of the drone caused a fire, which spread across the area of two square meters (21 square feet) and was extinguished within seven minutes. The company continues to operate as normal."

TSN said that the destruction of the site, which until recently produced raw materials for nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, will mean it will not be able to function for a long time.

However, NLMK's statement said it "has repeatedly stated that the company specializes exclusively in the production of flat rolled steel products for general civil purposes. The plant keeps operating in a regular mode."

Russia's Ministry of Defense, which Newsweek has contacted for comment, reported that the Russians shot down two drones over the region, and also intercepted two more in the Kursk and Tula regions.

Suspected Ukrainian drone strikes are hitting crucial infrastructure targets deeper inside Russia, with oil refineries in the firing line.

Earlier this month, a fire broke out at the Lukoil site in Volgograd, 200 miles from the Ukrainian border, following a strike on the largest producer of petroleum products in the Russian Southern Federal District.

Days earlier, a drone caused an explosion at the Nevsky Mazut refinery in St. Petersburg. After being hit by a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system, it flew another 20 miles to strike its target.

Also, overnight on Friday, Russia launched Iranian-made Shahed-131/136 attack drones on Ukraine's southern oblasts, with at least 12 of the devices shot down over Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Odesa oblasts.

Moscow also launched Kh-59 missiles from the Sea of Azov, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces reported on Telegram. Russian forces also launched 28 attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on Friday, targeting five communities, and resulting at least 148 explosions, the regional administration reported.

Update 3/6/24, 11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from NLMK.