Major Explosives Plant Hit Again as Ukrainian Drones Strike Across Russia Overnight

Ukrainian drones launched a large-scale attack on the city of Dzerzhinsk in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast early Wednesday, Aug. 19, with preliminary OSINT analysis identifying the Sverdlov explosives plant as a possible target. According to the Russian outlet Astra, the attack targeted the Sverdlov Explosives Plant, a strategically important military-chemical enterprise and one of Russia’s largest explosives manufacturers. The company has operated for more than a century and plays a key role in Russia’s military-industrial sector.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The plant has been included on Ukraine’s sanctions list for allegedly supporting actions that undermine or threaten Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. It is also under sanctions imposed by the US, EU, UK, Japan and Switzerland.Astra reported that one of the drones struck a multi-story residential building in Dzerzhinsk, several kilometers from the plant. No casualties have been reported. Local authorities have not commented on the alleged strike. The facility was previously targeted by Ukrainian drones in April 2026 and October 2024, according to available reports.Drone strikes reported across RussiaDrone attacks were also reported overnight in several other Russian regions.Bashkortostan Governor Radiy Khabirov said six drones targeted industrial facilities in Ufa. According to Khabirov, Russian air defenses shot down four of them. Other Topics of Interest Fedorov Calls for Wartime Elections, Says Putin Shouldn’t Set the Timeline Former Defense Minister Fedorov outlined conditions for voting rights covering soldiers, refugees abroad, and frontline residents. “One crashed in an industrial area, starting a small fire, which we are currently extinguishing. Another UAV hit a residential building in the Zaton neighborhood. According to preliminary information, one person was injured,” Khabirov wrote on Telegram. The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ also published footage purportedly showing an attack on Novomoskovsk in Russia’s Tula Oblast. Russian authorities had not officially commented on the incident or identified a possible target at the time of publication. Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russian air defenses had shot down at least 25 drones approaching the Russian capital overnight. As of publication, Russia’s Defense Ministry had not released its own account of the reported overnight attacks, while Ukrainian authorities had not claimed responsibility for the strikes. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.