Ukraine Targets Russian Chemical Plants as Moscow Claims to Down Over 1200 Drones Overnight

Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted chemical facilities in Russia’s Bashkortostan and Tula regions overnight on Oct. 29, with smoke seen rising from the Bashkir Soda Company complex after an attack.In Bashkortostan, the republic’s State Committee for Emergency Situations issued a “drone danger” alert early on Thursday, while Ufa Airport suspended all arrivals and departures. Residents of Sterlitamak reported explosions and drone impacts.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.According to an analysis by the Russian independent outlet Astra, based on photographs and videos published by monitoring channels, the drones targeted a facility belonging to the Bashkir Soda Company (BSK). Smoke was seen rising from the site following the reported attack. BSK is one of Russia’s largest chemical complexes and the country’s leading producer of soda ash and baking soda. The enterprise is part of the Roskhim holding company, which owns a controlling 57.43% stake.The complex is also listed in the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade’s classified registry of defense-related enterprises. BSK supplies military-industrial plants with hydrochloric acid and dichloroethane and is Russia’s sole producer of terephthaloyl chloride, a compound used to manufacture synthetic ballistic fibers, high-strength polymers and aramid materials. These materials are used in body armor, helmets and protective components for military equipment and aircraft. Other Topics of Interest No Energy Ceasefire With Russia, but Oleshky Truce Brings Hope, Zelensky Says Zelensky says Russia continued attacking Ukrainian energy facilities, while a separate US-mediated humanitarian truce has brought temporary relief to Oleshky. BSK was previously targeted by drones on Aug. 27, when smoke was also reported rising from the facility. Russian authorities did not comment on that incident.Drone alerts and airport disruptions across RussiaDrone alerts were also issued in several locations across Russia’s Perm Territory. In the regional capital, Perm, sirens sounded at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time, prompting the evacuation of educational institutions.The region had also experienced a reported drone attack on Oct. 23, when drones targeted the Azot chemical plant in Berezniki, owned by the Uralchem group. The facility produces, among other substances, nitric acid, which is used by Russia’s military-industrial complex to manufacture explosives and gunpowder.Moscow was also targeted during the overnight attacks. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that 613 drones were heading toward the Moscow region.“The majority were neutralized by the Ministry of Defense’s air defense forces at a great distance. 231 drones were destroyed as they approached Moscow,” Sobyanin said.Operations at Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports were suspended overnight. By morning, the restrictions had been lifted, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, reported.In its overnight report, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses had intercepted and destroyed 1,214 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the territories of the Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Tula, Smolensk, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Tver, Oryol, Ryazan, Vladimir, Samara, Saratov, Penza and Rostov regions, as well as the Moscow region, the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Udmurt Republic.Ukraine has not commented on its alleged involvement in the attacks.Damage reported in Novomoskovsk after previous drone attackMeanwhile, Russian authorities continued to address the aftermath of a massive drone attack on the city of Novomoskovsk in Russia’s Tula Region early on Oct. 28. Officials said they were securing damaged homes and monitoring air quality but did not mention damage to the NAK Azot chemical plant.Vladimir Tokarev, first deputy head of the Novomoskovsk administration, said specialists were working to secure damaged residential buildings and assess the destruction.“Specialists are sealing the thermal envelopes of damaged homes, clearing the areas, and inspecting the buildings. Once the extent of the destruction has been assessed, the scope of necessary repairs will be determined,” Tokarev said.He added that priority measures had already been taken and a temporary accommodation center had been established for residents whose homes were affected.Official reports said private houses, apartment buildings and “infrastructure in an industrial zone” were damaged during the overnight attack on Oct. 28. Russian authorities reported that 64 drones had been destroyed over the Tula Region, while one person was injured and taken to hospital.Laboratories from the Tula Region state institution Priroda and the regional branch of Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer rights and public health watchdog, were sent to Novomoskovsk to test air quality.Tula Region Governor Dmitry Milyaev said the laboratories had found that “the state of the ambient air in Novomoskovsk is within normal limits.” Tokarev also said no pollutant concentrations exceeding established standards had been recorded. However, according to monitoring channels, the overnight attack damaged the NAK Azot plant.The plant produces substances essential to the manufacture of HMX, also known as octogen, and RDX, or hexogen. Both compounds are used in the production of explosives, including those used in artillery shells.