Ukraine claims drone strike on main Russian steel plant
Ukrainian drones attacked a big Russian steel factory overnight, causing a significant fire, as per a source in Kyiv on Saturday, marking the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The governor of Lipetsk region in Russia pointed out that the plant is in Lipetsk city, about 400 km (250 miles) north of Ukraine's border. This particular plant makes up about 18% of all the steel produced in Russia.
He explained that the fire, which was started by a drone strike at a plant operated by Russian steel producer Novolipetsk (NLMK), has been contained. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
The Ukrainian source informed Reuters that the strike, carried out in collaboration with GUR military intelligence and the SBU security service, resulted in a significant fire, leading to the evacuation of the staff.
The source mentioned, "Materials from this facility are used to make Russian missiles, artillery, and drones. That's why it's a valid target for Ukraine," without stating where the plant is located.
A video shared on social media, claiming to be from Lipetsk, displayed an explosion, with orange flames lighting up the night sky.
NLMK stated on social media that the fire started at 1:40 a.m. (2240 GMT on Friday). The company did not respond immediately to a comment request.
In recent months, there has been a rise in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian military and industrial sites. Notably, these attacks have targeted oil facilities that Kyiv claims are crucial for the Russian war effort. However, Ukrainian sources had not previously acknowledged responsibility for an attack on a steel plant.
Russian authorities stated that Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Lipetsk, Kursk, and Tula regions overnight.
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