Drones attacked the Russian city of Veliky Novgorod on the night of 10-11 December. Early reports have indicated that a chemical plant has been hit and a fire has broken out on its grounds.

Source: Astra and other Telegram channels

Details: Residents of the city reported hearing explosions and drones flying overhead throughout the night. Videos posted on social media show a large-scale fire and a glow over an industrial facility.

The likely target of the attack was the Akron chemical plant.

Novgorod Oblast Governor Aleksandr Dronov confirmed the attack at around 04:00, saying that air defence systems had been responding in the region.

As usual, the Russian authorities have remained silent about the consequences of the strike on the plant's production facilities.

Acron PJSC serves as the lead business of the Acron Group, one of Russia's largest producers of mineral fertilisers. The plant is a strategically important facility for the Russian economy and is of critical significance for the defence industry due to the nature of its output.

The facility produces, among other things, ammonia, nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which are key components in the manufacture of gunpowder, ammonite and other explosives used by the Russian Armed Forces.

The ultimate beneficiary of the Acron Group is believed to be Russian oligarch Viatcheslav Kantor, who is under sanctions from Ukraine, the EU and the UK as an individual close to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine's defence forces continue to conduct systematic strikes on facilities within Russia that sustain the Russian war machine, including oil refineries, ammunition depots and defence industry businesses.

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