30 April 2026
In Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region, drones struck an explosives factory overnight on April 30.
Local residents reported multiple explosions on social media.
An OSINT review by ASTRA, using eyewitness footage, confirmed that smoke was rising from the direction of the Sverdlov Plant.
They determined that the footage was recorded about 2.5 km from the facility’s perimeter, in the Komsomolsky Microdistrict.
Fire in the area of the Sverdlov Plant in Dzerzhinsk, Russia. April 30, 2026. Photo credits: Astra
However, the Telegram channel noted that it is not yet possible to determine exactly what was burning after the drone attack.
The Y. M. Sverdlov Plant is one of the largest producers of explosives in Russia, with more than 100 years of history and major importance to the country’s industry.
Explosives produced at the facility are used, among other things, to equip artillery munitions and high-explosive aerial bombs.
The Y. M. Sverdlov Plant is under Ukrainian sanctions “for supporting actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of the country.”
On June 23, 2023, the enterprise was added to the European Union’s sanctions list. The plant is also subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Switzerland.
The moment of the explosion at the Dzerzhinsk plant. Photo credits: Exilenova+
The Y. M. Sverdlov Plant in Dzerzhinsk has been targeted several times before by Ukrainian strike drones, including an attack in early October last year.
Following the latest strike, a fire broke out at the facility, and local residents recorded it on video.
A day earlier, Ukrainian drones also hit a production and dispatch station near Perm.