Drones strike Morozov Plant near St Petersburg, which produces fuel for Iskanders

Undermining the production chain of the Russian military-industrial complex

Operators of the 1st Separate Centre of Unmanned Systems of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), together with other units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces, struck the Morozov Plant in Russia's Leningrad Oblast in the night leading up to 9 November. This was reported by the USF and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As noted by the General Staff, the joint-stock company "Morozov Plant" is located in close proximity to St Petersburg. This military-industrial complex enterprise is part of the state corporation Rostec and serves as one of the key links in the chain that supplies the Russian army with ballistic weapons.

Nature of damage and significance of the target

The night attack damaged three production workshops at the plant. The exact scale of the damage is currently being assessed.

USF representatives emphasised the strategic importance of the struck facility: "Це не просто завод вибухових речовин – підприємство є однією з ланок виробничого ланцюга російських "Іскандерів". Тут виготовляють твердопаливні заряди для двигунів балістичних ракет 9М723 комплексу "Іскандер-М", а сам завод також був розробником твердого палива для ракетних комплексів "Тополь-М"" (This is not just an explosives plant – the enterprise is one of the links in the production chain of Russian Iskanders. Solid fuel charges for the engines of 9M723 ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M system are manufactured here, and the plant itself was also a developer of solid fuel for Topol-M missile systems).

The distance from the Ukrainian border to the target was over 900 kilometres.

Strategic objective of the strikes

The General Staff explained the consequences of such an attack for the enemy: "Що це означає для України? Кожен такий удар ускладнює ворогу випуск ракет для "Іскандерів", якими він б’є по наших містах. Ланцюжок рветься на самому початку, задовго до пускової установки" (What does this mean for Ukraine? Each such strike makes it harder for the enemy to produce missiles for Iskanders, which it uses to strike our cities. The chain is broken at the very beginning, long before the launch site).

The actions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces are carried out within the framework of the right to self-defence enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Systematic strikes on the military-economic potential of the aggressor are aimed at forcing Russia to cease its armed aggression against Ukraine.