Ukraine’s military says it has struck one of Russia’s main explosives factory as well as an oil terminal in Russian-occupied Crimea.
“Numerous explosions” were reported after the strike at the Y M Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk, which makes explosives for ammunition for Russia’s armed forces, the Ukrainian general staff said in a statement.
The attacks were carried out as part of a strategy to reduce Russia’s “offensive potential, as well as its missile and bomb capabilities”, the general staff said.
It added that the plant was one of Moscow’s largest producers of explosives, which are used in a wide variety of ammunition for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces, including aviation and artillery shells, fighter jet bombs, anti-tank guided missiles and warheads for air defence missile systems.
Regional governor Gleb Nikitin said air defence forces had repelled an overnight attack by 20 drones near Dzerzhinsk. He said one person was injured by falling debris.
Mr Nikitin said there was fire damage to residential homes but “no damage was caused to industrial facilities”.
Sky News’s security and defence editor Deborah Haynes has described the targeting of the factory as “huge”.
Ukraine also targeted an oil depot in Crimea, with footage shared by local media on X appearing to show the scale of the attack in the city of Feodosia as flames rose from the depot.
The blaze was started after a fuel tank at the depot exploded.
Ukrainian forces also hit an ammunition depot in Crimea, but military officials said the results of the strike were “still being clarified”.
