Drones Hit Voronezh: Synthetic Rubber Plant and Aircraft Factory Targeted

Drones attacked the Russian city of Voronezh overnight on 26 October, starting fires at several industrial enterprises. The Voronezhsintezkauchuk plant and the VASO aircraft factory were reportedly hit, according to the Telegram channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+, the outlet ASTRA and the Russian agency Interfax, which cited Voronezh governor Alexander Gusev.

The two industrial targets

Supernova+ said the attacked enterprise was Voronezhsintezkauchuk, part of the Russian group SIBUR, which makes synthetic rubbers and polymer materials. The channel also reported an attack on the Voronezh Joint-Stock Aircraft Building Company (VASO), which belongs to the Ilyushin company within Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, takes part in building Il-96 aircraft and makes aircraft components.

What the governor and ASTRA say

Gusev confirmed fires at several industrial enterprises without naming them, saying they passed "without significant consequences". By his account, fires also broke out in a business centre, an apartment building, two dacha settlements, a school stadium and a garage cooperative, and façades and windows were damaged in almost all districts of the city. He claimed that air defence downed more than 70 drones over Voronezh and 113 in total over the agglomeration and several districts of the region.

ASTRA reported a drone hit on the Galereya Chizhova business centre at 35A Koltsovskaya Street; the explosion was caught on video. From photos and video, the outlet also located blasts near residential buildings on 25 Yanvarya Street and Arkhitektora Troitskogo Street, and said the Uritsky residential complex was damaged. At least ten cars burned in a car park on 45th Rifle Division Street.

Readers told ASTRA that explosions and air defence fire could be heard for over an hour and that smoke covered the city. According to them, no air-raid siren sounded. See more in our World section.