Seven Killed in Ukrainian Drone Attack on Russian Factory in Smolensk

Published: 25 February 2026 . The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

At least seven people have been killed and ten others injured after a Ukrainian drone strike hit a fertiliser factory in western Russia’s Smolensk region, Russian authorities said on Wednesday, in one of the deadliest such attacks on Russian industrial infrastructure since the full-scale invasion began. The facility, PJSC Dorogobuzh, located near the town of Dorogobuzh, produces nitrogen-based fertilisers — compounds that also have industrial and explosive applications — and was struck early on Wednesday when Ukrainian forces launched a salvo of drones across the border.

Smolensk region governor Vasily Anokhin described the incident on social media as a “barbaric” attack on a civilian industrial enterprise, saying that at least 30 unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with explosives were involved and that Russian air defences had shot down several of them but others reached their targets. Emergency services responded to a large fire at the site, and authorities said rescuers had contained the blaze by Wednesday morning. The Russian Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case under the part of the penal code covering terrorist acts, and officials were considering evacuating nearby residents as a precaution against potential chemical hazards.

Images circulating online showed smoke rising from the factory soon after the strike, and schools in the Smolensk region were temporarily switched to remote learning while local authorities assessed safety. The plant had previously been targeted in December, though past attacks caused infrastructure damage without casualties. Kyiv — which routinely conducts long-range drone operations into Russian territory as part of its wider conflict strategy — did not immediately issue a comment on this specific incident.

The attack forms part of a broader pattern of cross-border drone strikes and counter-strikes that have characterised the conflict’s fourth year, with both Ukrainian and Russian forces repeatedly targeting industrial sites, energy infrastructure and military assets deep inside enemy territory. The impact on civilians and industrial workers continues to draw international attention and raise concerns about escalation and the rules governing conflict targeting in densely populated regions.

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