A missile alert was declared in Russia's Lipetsk region on the night of 28 October. "The enemy is attempting to attack Lipetsk's industrial infrastructure," local reports stated.
Later, reports emerged of a fire at the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant (NLMK). Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ confirmed a fire on the plant's premises, noting that a Pantsir air defence system may have failed to intercept an incoming aerial target. Lipetsk region Governor Igor Artamonov did not comment on the attack or its consequences.
NLMK is Russia's largest steelmaking plant and ranks among the world's 20 largest. It has an annual production capacity of 17 million tonnes of liquid steel. The facility was previously targeted in an attack in July this year.
A missile alert was also declared early on 28 October by Tula region Governor Dmitry Milyaev. He later reported that the region had come under a massive Ukrainian drone attack.
According to Exilenova+, the target of the attack in Novomoskovsk was the Azot chemical plant, part of the EuroChem Group and one of Russia's largest producers of nitrogen fertilisers.
The facility manufactures ammonia, ammonium nitrate, urea and methanol, which can be used in ammunition production.
On 24 October, Ukrainian drones attacked the major Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant in Russia's Samara region. A fire broke out at the Tatneft-owned facility, prompting authorities to close nearby streets.
The Togliatti thermal power plant was also struck, causing disruptions to electricity and water supplies for local residents.
Togliattikauchuk produces monomers, hydrocarbon fractions and petrol additives. The synthetic rubbers manufactured at the plant are used in the production of solid rocket propellant for tactical and ballistic missiles.
On 12 September, Ukrainian drones also struck the KuibyshevAzot chemical plant in Togliatti, which produces ammonium nitrate, ammonia and dilute nitric acid.
