The Penza drone attack hit deep inside Russia overnight on 31 July, igniting a major fire at a factory that produces equipment for the Russian military. Regional authorities confirmed a large fire at the plant after residents posted videos of drones flying low over the city. The factory is more than 600 km from Ukraine.

Penza drone attack hits a factory producing military systems

Telegram channels reported that in the early hours of 31 July, Ukrainian long-range strike drones flew over Penza and attacked an industrial site. Local residents filmed the drones passing over houses, followed by several explosions and a fire in the industrial zone. Mobile internet was shut down during the air alert.

Penza Oblast governor Oleg Melnichenko admitted in the morning that a drone attack caused a fire at one of the industrial facilities.

“There are no casualties and no destruction. There is a fire on the territory of the enterprise, which is now being eliminated,” he wrote.

Local reports and Russia’s official version

The Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine identified the target as the Radioworks factory in Penza, an important enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex.

Melnichenko wrote that the fire began after an overnight drone attack and that damage control continued in the morning. Social media videos posted from Penza show columns of smoke rising above the factory buildings and the sound of explosions in the distance.

In its daily report, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that its forces allegedly shot down 32 drones in five Russian oblasts and in Russian-occupied Crimea during the night. The ministry did not list Penza Oblast among those locations.

As of the morning, local officials reported that firefighting operations continued at the industrial site. No casualties have been confirmed. The strike reached deep into Russian territory, underlining the range of Ukrainian drone operations.

In December 2024, the Indian company Ideal Detonators Private Limited shipped two batches of octogen, a military-grade explosive, to Russia, totaling over $1.4 million. Recipients included the Russian company Promsintez and High Technology Initiation Systems, Reuters reports.

An SBU official reveals that in April, Ukraine carried out a drone attack on a plant owned by Promsintez.

Octogen is critical to modern missile warheads, torpedoes, explosive shells, and rocket engines. According to the Pentagon, this high-quality explosive is used in Russia’s advanced military systems, and the US government has warned financial institutions not to support octogen sales to Moscow.

Three sanctions lawyers say the US Treasury Department has the authority to impose sanctions on those selling octogen and similar materials to Russia. Octogen is known as a “high-performance explosive,” meaning it detonates quickly and is designed for maximum destruction.

The US State Department says it has repeatedly warned India that companies involved in military business face sanctions risks.

Reuters identified two shipments of octogen sent by India’s Ideal Detonators Private Limited in December, both unloaded in Saint Petersburg, according to Indian customs data. An Indian official familiar with these shipments confirmed their presence.

One batch, valued at $405,200, was purchased by a Russian company, High Technology Initiation Systems. The other batch, worth over $1 million, was bought by Promsintez. Both buyers are located in Samara Oblast, near the Kazakhstan border in southern Russia.

Ideal Detonators, based in Telangana, India, declined to comment.

Under the Trump administration, progress on Russia-related sanctions slowed significantly, and it remains unclear whether the US will take further action against Indian companies doing business with Russia’s defense industry.

Washington has long sought closer ties with India to pull the South Asian country away from China.

Eric Prince, a partner at Washington law firm Akin, said the US government often prefers to raise concerns privately with allies and resorts to punitive measures only as a last resort.

While Moscow is busy relentlessly attacking Ukraine, gas pipelines are blowing up inside Russia itself. According to Ukrainian Defense Intelligence sources, a powerful explosion occurred in the city of Langepas, located in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, damaging a major section of a large trunk gas pipeline, UNIAN reports. 

This pipeline supplied gas to Russia’s defense industry facilities in the Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, and Sverdlovsk oblasts. The destroyed section had an annual throughput capacity of 2.6 billion cubic meters.

“With the price of 1,000 cubic meters of gas at around $350, the immediate damage alone amounts to at least $1.3 million,” the source emphasizes.

At the time of the explosion, about 4.1 million cubic meters of gas were flowing through the pipeline. Due to the difficult, swampy terrain, repairs will take at least a month. This will temporarily reduce supply by 25 million cubic meters, potentially leading to indirect losses of up to $76 million.

Local media writes that residents were “deeply concerned” by the “powerful bangs.” Emergency crews and repair teams quickly arrived at the scene.

Ukrainian intelligence reminds that “Western Siberia feeds Moscow,” but Siberians are dying on the front lines for the Kremlin’s interests.

“When locals begin to actively demand their own independence… such ‘mysterious explosions’ will stop,” the source notes.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence identified dozens of Russian companies involved in producing the missile, most of which remain unsanctioned.

Its War & Sanctions platform published a list of over 70 Russian companies manufacturing Kh-101 components. These companies still have access to Western equipment and technology, enabling Russia to replenish its missile stockpiles and continue targeting civilian infrastructure.