The State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces launched a drone strike on the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant in Russia for the second time this month, the SBU reported on Saturday, April 4.
The facility is a key industrial site used by Russia to support its military-industrial complex. According to the SBU, the plant supplies materials to Russia’s Uralvagonzavod for the manufacturing of military equipment, including T-90M “Proryv” tanks and Msta-S self-propelled howitzers.
Ukrainian forces identified critical production units before deploying Fire Point FP-2 drones to strike the facility. The attack damaged blast furnaces, key production workshops, distillation columns, gas pipelines, and electrical substations. As a result of the damage, the plant has reportedly suspended operations.
The operation in Alchevsk is part of a series of major long-range strikes against Russian industrial targets.
Earlier, drones attacked the city of Tolyatti in the Samara region, striking two major chemical plants – TolyattiKauchuk and KuibyshevAzot. One employee was reportedly injured in that attack, which also caused several loud explosions and restricted traffic in the city’s northern industrial hub.
These strikes follow a significant fire on April 2 at the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa, located approximately 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the Ukrainian border. While Russian authorities claimed air defenses intercepted the drones, falling debris ignited a fire in the industrial zone and forced the temporary closure of the city’s airport.
Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russian energy and industrial infrastructure in recent weeks, with market data indicating that up to 40 percent of Russia’s oil export capacity has faced disruptions due to drone strikes and related logistics issues.