Ukrainian drones attacked the city of Berezniki in Russia’s Perm Krai, home to one of the country’s largest chemical industry enterprises—the Azot plant, regional governor Dmitry Makhonin reported.
“There was a brief halt in the technological cycle at Azot; the enterprise is now operating normally. There is no threat to the environment, and residents’ safety is not at risk,” Makhonin wrote on his Telegram channel. He added that no one was injured in the incident. Emergency service specialists remain on site, and an operational headquarters has been deployed. Residents of Berezniki reported hearing two powerful explosions near the chemical plant on the evening of October 2. In one video, a witness mentioned three drones attacking the enterprise.
Azot is part of the Uralchem holding owned by billionaire Dmitry Mazepin. The plant is Russia’s sole producer of higher aliphatic amines, sodium nitrate, and crystalline sodium nitrite. Its main products include ammonium nitrate, technical liquid ammonia, aqueous ammonia, urea, nitric acid, and nitrite-nitrate salts. Ammonium nitrate is used both as a component in explosives and as a nitrogen fertilizer. Berezniki is located more than 1,500 km in a straight line from the Ukrainian border.
On September 25, Ukrainian forces struck the EuroChem-Belorechensk Mineral Fertilizers plant in Belorechensk, Krasnodar Krai, which is one of Russia’s largest chemical producers for the military-industrial complex. Earlier, Ukraine attacked several other EuroChem facilities: in late May, Novomoskovsky Azot in Tula Oblast, and in mid-June, Nevinnomyssky Azot in Stavropol Krai. At the Tula plant, drones caused minor building damage with no injuries. In Stavropol, pipelines carrying natural gas and acid tanks were put out of service, and at least five people were injured.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the targeted plants produce substances used in munitions and rocket fuel.
