Drones strike Russian electronics plant and refineries in Perm, Ulyanovsk and Rostov
On the night of 24–25 September, drones hit multiple industrial sites deep inside Russia, including the Iskra electronics plant in Ulyanovsk, the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm, and the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast. A Voronezh chemical plant was also reportedly struck. Russian governors confirmed damage to industrial and civilian infrastructure, with eight reported injured in Ulyanovsk and four in Voronezh Oblast. President Zelensky said halting strikes on energy and refinery infrastructure is being discussed as one option for a partial ceasefire, and that Ukraine is ready to stop if Russia does the same.
Key points
- Drone strikes overnight on 24–25 September hit the Iskra electronics plant in Ulyanovsk, the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm, and the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast
- A Voronezh Oblast chemical plant, Voronezhsyntezkauchuk, was also reportedly struck
- The Iskra Plant, part of the Almaz-Antey concern, supplies components for Russian missile production including Kh-59M2/M2A guided munitions
- The Perm refinery processes more than 13 million tonnes of oil per year; the Novoshakhtinsk plant, which has now halted operations, processes up to 7.5 million tonnes
- Eight people were reported injured in Ulyanovsk and four in Voronezh Oblast; the Perm governor said there were no casualties
- Russian officials gave widely varying interception counts, from about 50 over Rostov to 88 over Voronezh; the Russian Defence Ministry claimed 592 drones downed overnight
- President Zelensky said halting strikes on energy and refinery infrastructure is being discussed as a possible partial ceasefire option and that Ukraine is ready to stop if Russia reciprocates
Why it matters
Several of the struck facilities sit at the intersection of Russia's defense-industrial base and its oil-refining capacity. Iskra produces components that feed into Russian missile production, including the Kh-59M2/M2A, while the Perm and Novoshakhtinsk refineries are among Russia's larger processors — with Novoshakhtinsk now halted and Perm apparently hit at the same installation damaged in late August. The overnight wave, spanning Ulyanovsk, Perm, Rostov and Voronezh, illustrates the geographic reach of recent Ukrainian drone operations. The attack comes as Zelensky has publicly tied strikes on Russian energy and refinery infrastructure to potential ceasefire arrangements, saying Ukraine would halt such attacks if Russia reciprocates.
What happened
On the night of 24–25 September, drones struck multiple industrial sites deep inside Russia. In Ulyanovsk, the Iskra electronics plant — part of the Almaz-Antey concern and a supplier of components for Russian missile production — was hit, with Ulyanovsk Oblast Governor Alexei Russkikh confirming damage to industrial and civilian infrastructure and reporting eight injuries. In Perm, the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery, one of Russia's largest with annual processing capacity above 13 million tonnes, was struck and a large-scale fire broke out; OSINT and other reporting identified the AVT-5 atmospheric-vacuum distillation unit as the likely damaged installation. Perm Krai Governor Dmitry Makhonin reported no casualties. In Rostov Oblast, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery was damaged and halted operations, according to Governor Yuri Slyusar, who claimed about 50 drones were shot down over the region. Voronezh was also hit, with witnesses and Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev reporting strikes near the Voronezhsyntezkauchuk chemical plant and an Ozon warehouse; Gusev said 88 drones were intercepted over the oblast and four people were injured. Russian figures for drones intercepted varied sharply across regions, and the Russian Defence Ministry claimed 592 drones were shot down overnight across 18 regions and territories.
Where reporting differs
Russian officials gave widely varying figures for drones intercepted: Ulyanovsk Governor Russkikh described a 'massive' attack without a specific count, Rostov Governor Slyusar claimed about 50 over his region, Voronezh Governor Gusev claimed 88, and the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed 592 drones were downed overnight across 18 regions and territories. Casualty and damage reports also differed by region — eight injured in Ulyanovsk, none reported in Perm, four injured in Voronezh — with damage described variously as hitting residential buildings, civilian infrastructure or industrial sites. Reporting on the Perm strike diverged on the specific unit affected, with some sources describing a facility-wide fire and others identifying the AVT-5 atmospheric-vacuum distillation unit as the likely damaged installation. The geographic scope of the overnight wave was also reported inconsistently: most coverage focused on Ulyanovsk and Perm, but other accounts added the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast and Voronezhsyntezkauchuk in Voronezh Oblast, as well as a strike on a hypermarket in occupied Luhansk.
Background
The Iskra Plant, founded in 1971, is part of the Almaz-Antey concern and specializes in semiconductor devices, microwave components, power electronics and LTCC-ceramic housings for radio-electronic equipment. Its products are used by the Russian military-industrial complex, and it supplies components to the Yaroslavl Radio Plant for Kh-59M2/M2A guided missiles. The plant has recently expanded capacity for digital blocks and microwave modules for radar systems. The Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez (PNOS) refinery in Perm, one of Russia's largest, processes more than 13 million tonnes of oil per year and was previously struck at the end of August, when a primary atmospheric-vacuum distillation unit was likely damaged. The Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast processes up to 7.5 million tonnes of oil per year and has also been hit before, including a halt in late August. Voronezhsyntezkauchuk, near the reported impact site in Voronezh Oblast, produces thermoelastoplasts and synthetic rubbers and has been fully owned by Sibur since 2012. The previous night, drones struck southern Russian regions, damaging oil depots in Rostov Oblast and Kuban. President Zelensky has publicly framed a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure and oil refineries as one option for a partial ceasefire, saying Ukraine is ready to stop such attacks if Russia reciprocates.