Explosions in Russia: Attack on one of the largest metallurgical plants

On the night of February 24, powerful explosions occurred in the Russian city of Lipetsk. Later, it was reported that one of the largest metallurgical enterprises in Russia, the Novolipetsk Steel Plant, was attacked.

Ukrainian drones attacked a strategic military facility in Russia

The Ukrainian media report that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine organized the attack in cooperation with the Air Force. Moreover, explosions were heard that night not only in Lipetsk but also in other regions of Russia.

One of the largest metallurgical plants in Russia was on fire on the night to February 24, the second anniversary of Russia’s war. This plant operates for the Russian military-industrial complex and fulfills a large number of government orders. It uses raw materials to manufacture Russian missiles, artillery, drones, etc.

Consequences of the attack on Russian plant in Lipetsk

After the powerful explosions at the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant, a large-scale fire broke out, and the plant’s personnel were evacuated. The Ukrainian security services clarified that their drones hit the installations intended for the primary cooling of untreated coke oven gas.

According to sources, the destruction of these facilities will result in the metallurgical plant’s entire production process being shut down for a long time.

Russia acknowledged the drone attack

 The company and local authorities first confirmed the attack.  According to them, the explosion occurred around 1:40 a.m. local time. Authorities reported a fire exceeding 2 square meters, which was contained. There was no information about the victims.

The governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov, also confirmed the fire, and at first cautiously noted that “according to unconfirmed information, the cause of the fire was the fall of an aircraft.” Later, the Russian Defense Ministry recognized the drone attack.  The drones were shot down for almost two hours.

 The Russian ministry said in a statement that they stopped the Ukraine’s regular attempts to carry out ‘terrorist attacks’ using aircraft-type UAVs against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation from 00.20 to 02.00 last night. 

The aggressor country’s defense ministry said that its air defense systems allegedly intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles over the Lipetsk region. However, there are doubts about the veracity of these words. The videos show the drones actually hitting the plant in flames.

You can see the scale of the fire in the videos. Up close, the fire appears more visible, indicating that it has spread throughout the entire plant rather than being localized in one area.

Where is Novolipetsk Steel Plant located?

The plant is located in the Russian city of Lipetsk, which is 508 kilometers from Moscow and hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine. For example, the Ukrainian border town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region is about 400 kilometers away.

The plant’s owner is a Putin henchman

The plant’s owner is a Russian oligarch close to dictator Putin, Vladimir Lisin. To put it in perspective, according to Forbes, he is one of the three richest people in Russia.

Media reports say that until recently, the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant produced raw materials for Russian companies involved in nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Earlier, Radio Liberty journalists emphasized that Lisin, which was not subject to Western sanctions, continued to fulfill government orders for the penitentiary service during Russia’s full-scale war.

The plant also continued to supply equipment to a plant that develops and produces radar artillery control systems for the Russian navy.

In other words, Lisin is a direct sponsor of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and has been indulging Putin by helping to provide the necessary components for weapons creation.

Not only Lipetsk, but more drone attacks and fires in Russia

However, the explosions on the night of February 24 were heard not only in Lipetsk but also in two other regions of Russia.

In the morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its air defense system had allegedly prevented “another attempt by Ukraine to carry out terrorist attacks” on their territory.

They reported the alleged interception of drones over the territories of the Kursk and Lipetsk regions, where three UAVs were spotted, as well as the “destruction” of one drone over the territory of the Tula region.

Aleksandr Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, reported that an airplane-type unmanned aerial vehicle was allegedly destroyed in the region at night. It allegedly happened in the Starodubsk municipal district.

Furthermore, Roman Starovoit, the governor of the Kursk region, reported on Russian air defense’s work. He asked citizens to “remain calm.”.

According to reports, the Ukrainian defense forces have simultaneously strengthened their long-range attack drones, but at the same time, they have switched to the tactic of striking strategic facilities and businesses associated with the Putin regime’s war efforts in Russia itself, hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

This is likely to be an effective way of reducing the Russian military-industrial complex’s military capabilities and Russia’s potenital to continue its war, or at least more effective than the existing international economic sanctions.