Ukrainian drones struck the Azot chemical plant in Tula Oblast linked to explosives production, marking the second attack on the facility in two weeks, overnight on 8 June. Yesterday, resumed Ukrainian attacks on oil processing facilities continued with a strike on a bitumen production site near a major oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

Tula Oblast’s Azot chemical plant hit again

The Azot facility in Novomoskovsk, Tula Oblast, has increasingly become a target in Ukraine’s long-range drone operations due to its role in Russia’s defense production. 

On 8 June, Russian sources reported that drones targeted the Azot around 400 kilometers from Ukraine. The attack caused explosions and a fire at the plant, according to Russian pro-government Telegram channels, including VChK-OGPU, which stated shortly after midnight that that “an UAV hit the NK Azot pipe in Novomoskovsk” shortly past midnight.

Russian news Telegram channels Astra noticed that eyewitnesses reported hearing five to eight loud explosions. Citing local Telegram channels, Astra said the drones hit the Azot chemical plant, which produces substances used in the manufacture of explosives for artillery shells.

About 2:30 a.m., Tula Oblast governor Dmitry Milyaev confirmed the strike and the resulting fire, stating that it broke out after drone debris hit the site. In his official Telegram post, he added,

“The fire has been extinguished. No exceedance of permissible pollutant levels has been recorded. […] Two people were injured, but their lives are not at risk. Emergency services are working at the site.”

Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ suggested, based on available footage, that the strike on the Azot plant in Novomoskovsk likely hit the main pipeline access area, not the processing units themselves. In video reportedly filmed on-site, a worker says: “Basically, it hit a pipe — a gas one, a propane line.” The channel noted that further OSINT is needed for confirmation.

Second attack on Azot in weeks

This is the second drone strike on the plant in recent weeks. The previous attack occurred on 24 May, when drones hit a low-pressure gas pipeline in workshop No. 4, damaging two 750-ton nitric acid tanks. One tank leaked onto the ground, prompting a full shutdown of the facility. Governor Milyaev then reported damage to an acid storage unit during emergency response operations.

Fuel facility near Kstovo also struck

In the afternoon of 7 June, Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted another industrial site – JSC Bitumnoye Proizvodstvo bitumen plant – near the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, about 800 km from Ukraine. Local Telegram channels shared video of the incident.

It remains unclear whether the bitumen plant or the refinery was the intended target.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed a major fire broke out, stating:

“According to updated information, bitumen production units with a total volume of 200 cubic meters are burning. A firefighting train has departed from the Zelecino station. More than 70 specialists and 26 pieces of equipment are involved in extinguishing the blaze.”

Resumed attacks on fuel facilities

Ukraine resumed its attacks against Russian fuel storage and processing facilities on 6 June after a few-month pause, by targeting the Rosrezerv’s Kristall fuel depot in Engels, Saratov Oblast, where aviation fuel for Russia’s strategic bombers is stored. Before that, the most recent attack of this kind occurred on 18 March, when Ukrainian drones targeted the Kavkaz oil transshipment terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.

After months, Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian fuel depots, targets airfields and military factories (video)

However, Militarnyi suggests that the Kristall strike “could have been part of the series of attacks on Russia’s long-range capabilities,” given it stores fuel for strategic aviation. However, the 7 June strike on the Kstovo plant removes ambiguity, as it “provides grounds to assert that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russia’s oil industry,” the outlet wrote.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. This article was updated with comments by Tula Oblast Governor Dmitry Milyaev.

The Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk caught fire after it was reportedly targeted a second time in a drone attack overnight on June 8, independent news channel Astra reported.

The plant was previously struck and caught fire on May 24 in a similar overnight drone attack.

Novomoskovsk in Russia's Tula Oblast is located about 395 kilometers (245 miles) from Ukraine.

"According to preliminary information, two people were injured, but their lives are not in danger," Tula Oblast Governor Dmitry Milyaev later reported.

The governor confirmed there was a fire at the Azot plant, adding that it was extinguished.

Astra shared unverified footage of what appears to be smoke rising from the Azot chemical Plant following the June 8 drone attack.

The Azot company produces ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers, as well as organic plastics, resins, chlorine, and nitric acid, according to open sources.

Milyaev earlier reported that a drone attack hazard was declared in the region.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.

Ukraine regularly strikes military targets deep within Russian territory in an effort to diminish Moscow's fighting power in its ongoing war.

On June 1, Ukraine launched a game-changing drone attack on four key Russian military airfields, damaging 41 planes, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes.

Kyiv claims it has disabled 34% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet in what is seen as one of the most daring operations during Russia's full-scale war.

Ukraine downs fighter jet in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Air Force says

Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024. Reinforced by North Korean troops, Russia launched a push to recapture the region in early March, with Ukraine being forced to pull back from much of the initially taken territory.

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko

Overnight on 26 May, a drone strike reportedly hit the NPO Splav facility in Tula, Russia, 340 km from Ukraine, marking the second such attack on the plant this month. The factory produces rockets and Tornado-S multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), heavy “flamethrower” systems (TOS), and guided and unguided aviation rockets.

Ukrainian Telegram channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+ shared footage, published by local residents, showing the moment of the explosion, which took place last night. A woman in the video says “It flies again,” referring to a drone, and then after the distant explosion add, “It’s at the plant.”

Referring to the Ukrainian open-source intelligence (OSINT) community Kyberboroshno, Militarnyi noted that the same workshop was previously struck on 7 April 2025.

Currently, the extent of the damage remains unknown.the extent of the damage remains unknown.

Attempted geolocation

Using video and image analysis, Kyberboroshno geolocated the impact site to coordinates, stating that the explosion occurred on the premises of the same enterprise.

Meanwhile, Supernova+ published its geolocation analysis suggesting other target of the drone attack – the military storage base (military unit 21317) or the 1060th Central Material and Technical Supply Base (military unit 55443-16). This assessment contradicts the eyewitness’s comment in the video, which indicates that the explosion occurred at the plant.

Russian news Telegram channel Astra stated that NASA satellites did not detect fires in the Splav area. However, this report is irrelevant, because NASA FIRMS had already recorded thermal anomalies there in previous days, likely linked to industrial activity — making it impossible to single out fires caused by the drone strike amid numerous existing industrial hotspots.

Third attack on Splav this month

If confirmed, this may have been the third drone attack on NPO Splav in May 2025. The plant was previously hit on 7 May and again overnight on 22 May, when a functioning workshop caught fire. A substation also reportedly caught fire during that attack.