Proton Plant in Russia's Orel Attacked, Reports Say

The Proton plant in the Russian city of Orel, which supplies electronic components for Russian weapons, was attacked on Friday, according to the Russian outlet ASTRA, the ATESH partisan movement and the Telegram channel Exilenova+. After the explosions, a large column of smoke rose over the city.

Local residents reported at least four explosions, and a missile threat had been declared in the region beforehand. ASTRA, relying on its own OSINT analysis, concluded that the Proton plant was hit.

What the sources claim

ATESH says the missile strike came during a shift change and that it is still gathering information. Exilenova+ published videos that, by its description, show the moment of the strike and its aftermath. The channel claims Storm Shadow cruise missiles were used and that rubble is being cleared at the enterprise.

"As a result of the missile attack on Orel, at least one production workshop of JSC Proton has been completely destroyed," Exilenova+ said.

About the plant

Proton specializes in developing and producing optoelectronic equipment, semiconductor devices and LED products. According to ATESH, the plant supplies electronic components to Russia's military-industrial complex, including for Iskander-M missiles, Pantsir-S1 systems and other military equipment. The claims come from the sources named above and have not been independently confirmed.