A Ukrainian drone attack on a fertilizer plant in the western Smolensk region killed at least seven people and injured 10 others on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Smolensk region Governor Vasily Anokhin, describing the strike as “barbaric,” said drones targeted the Dorogobuzh nitrogen fertilizer plant around 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of the border with Belarus. Firefighters partially contained a blaze that broke out at the facility, he added.
Anokhin said in a video statement that authorities might order an evacuation of nearby towns as environmental and industrial safety experts were dispatched to assess whether a potential chemical leak posed a danger to public health.
The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative body, said at least seven people were killed in the drone attack.
Media reports suggested that the ammonium nitrate and other nitrogen-based chemicals produced at Dorogobuzh can be used in military-grade explosives.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed 14 Ukrainian drones in the skies above the Smolensk region between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
The Dorogobuzh plant was previously attacked alongside its parent company, Acron, one of Russia’s largest chemical producers, in the northwestern city of Veliky Novgorod in December.
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