Russian factory "Novatek" halts operations due to Ukrainian UAV attack
The attack launched by Ukrainian drones halted operations at the Russian factory "Novatek," situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
The Bloomberg agency reports this.
As noted, the attack was a special operation of the Ukrainian security forces.
An official source in Kyiv, who has not been named, said that Ukrainian forces struck the factory with drones.
As a result of the attack, the gas condensate processing plant in Ust-Luga stopped all technological operations. There are no casualties.
The fire resulted from "external influence," the Novatek company said.
Local media outlet "Fontanka" reported that the drones struck the facility in the Leningrad region early in the morning local time on Sunday. However, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported no attacks in the area.
The port of Ust-Luga is one of the two main sources of energy exports from the Russian Federation in the Baltic Sea; it is located about 130 kilometers southwest of St. Petersburg, the hometown of President Vladimir Putin, and not far from the border with Estonia.
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Officially, the Ministry of Defense of Russia announced at night the alleged downing of drones over the territory of Tula, Oryol, and Smolensk regions (the latter was attacked twice).
However, the fire in the port of the Leningrad region was not mentioned at all.
Residents heard the sounds of drones, after which explosions rang out near the terminal of the sea trade port in the village of Ust-Luga, located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea.
A fire broke out there. Russian mass media reported that either the port's oil or coal terminal was on fire.
Later, the governor of the Leningrad Region, Oleksandr Drozdenko, reported that the fire occurred at the Novatek company terminal. According to him, there were no casualties; the personnel was evacuated.
"The Kingisep district in the Leningrad region has declared a state of heightened alertness following a fire at the Novatek terminal," he added.
In addition, there was an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Shcheglovsky Val defense enterprise in the city of Tula in the Russian Federation.
It is worth adding that the company that was attacked by Ukrainian drones produces, in particular, Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile systems.
Earlier, Rubryka reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the downing of drones over Tula.
However, the mass media and residents reported a powerful explosion and fire in the Proletarsky district of the city, where the Shcheglovsky Val plant is located.
In addition, on the night of January 21, Ukrainian drones in the Smolensk region attacked a Russian aircraft factory, where aircraft and other military equipment are manufactured and repaired.
According to a media interlocutor, hits were recorded near Smolensk.
It is worth noting that the Smolensk Aviation Plant produces Kh-59 cruise missiles of various modifications, which are used by Russian forces to attack military and civilian targets in Ukraine.
In addition, the company is under the sanctions of the European Union and the United States.
It should be noted that the plant was already attacked by drones in October and November 2023.
So, on October 1, drones attacked the cities of Smolensk and Sochi in the Russian Federation. Then, the governor of the Smolensk region said that the drones were trying to hit the aircraft factory in Smolensk.
On November 27, the Ministry of Defense's main intelligence directorate attacked the Smolensk Aviation Plant in Russia with drones. The operation was successful; the targets were hit.
Next, the Russians announced the "destruction of all drones." However, they mentioned that one of the UAVs still landed on the roof of a workshop at the factory and exploded. As a result, both the roof and ceiling beams were damaged.
