Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) carried out a drone strike overnight on a Russian chemical plant that produces key fuel components used in cruise missiles regularly fired at Ukrainian cities.
According to Kyiv Post sources within the SBU, drones operated by the agency’s Alpha Special Operations Center struck a research and production facility in the village of Redkino in Russia’s Tver Region, northwest of Moscow.
Strike targets missile fuel production
The targeted facility manufactures Decylin-M, a specialized rocket fuel component used in Kh-55 and Kh-101 cruise missiles, as well as fuel additives for diesel and aviation kerosene, the source said. Both missile types are among Russia’s primary long-range weapons used in strikes on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure.
Following the drone impacts, a large fire broke out at the plant, with thick black smoke visible above the site. The NASA FIRMS satellite system, which tracks fires globally in near real time, recorded active burning on the territory of the enterprise after the strike.
“The SBU continues systematic strikes on key facilities of the Russian military-industrial complex,” a source in the service told Kyiv Post. “This plant is an important link in the production of cruise missiles. Even a temporary halt complicates rocket fuel production and reduces the enemy’s ability to maintain the intensity of attacks on our cities.”
Russian officials confirm fire
Russian authorities confirmed an overnight drone attack in the area without specifying the target.
Tver Region’s acting governor, Vitaly Korolev, said that a fire broke out at an enterprise in the Konakovo district after air defenses repelled a drone attack. He said there were no casualties and that emergency services were deployed to monitor the situation.
Several hours later, Korolev reported that open flames had been extinguished by emergency crews, adding that no injuries were recorded and claiming the enterprise’s production had not been affected.
Footage and analysis point to Redkino site
Independent Russian media outlet ASTRA identified the struck facility as the Redkino Experimental Plant, based on geolocated video footage recorded roughly 700 meters from the impact site.
Residents of Redkino reported multiple explosions overnight followed by a fire and a strong chemical smell in the area, ASTRA said. The outlet noted that the plant specializes in chemical products for the aviation and space industries and has been under US, UK and other Western sanctions for years.
ASTRA also reported that the Redkino facility had been targeted previously, including attacks in June 2024 and twice in September 2023.
Background: Sustained SBU strike campaign
The strike fits into a broader Ukrainian campaign targeting Russia’s military-industrial and energy infrastructure far from the front lines. The SBU has previously acknowledged or been linked to drone operations against oil refineries, fuel depots, airfields, naval assets of Russia’s Shadow Fleet and other strategic facilities on Russian territory.
Ukrainian officials argue that such operations are aimed at degrading Russia’s capacity to wage war and reducing its ability to sustain large-scale missile and drone attacks against Ukraine.