On the night of June 11, Ukrainian drones launched a massive attack on the city of Kotovsk in the Tambov region, reported the acting governor of the region, Yevheniy Pervyshov.
“As a result of the fall of one of the downed UAVs, a fire broke out, which was extinguished by fire departments. No casualties,” wrote the regional head on his Telegram channel.
According to Baza and Mash, the target of the Ukrainian drones was the Tambov gunpowder plant. Local residents reported at least 15 explosions and a fire at the facility. Astra and VChK-OGPU write that one of the ammunition warehouses caught fire.
The Tambov gunpowder plant is the largest producer of gunpowder in Russia. It manufactures over 200 types of products, including nitrocellulose gunpowders for small arms, hand grenades, grenade launchers, artillery, and mortar ammunition. The plant is part of the state corporation Rostec and is classified as a hazardous facility.
The latest attack on the plant is the fifth since the full-scale war in Ukraine began. Previously, the facility was targeted by Ukrainian drones on May 29, when a fire broke out on the roof of one of the warehouses, but no one was injured. The plant was also hit by drones in January this year, July 2024, and November 2023. The facility did not suffer significant damage and continued production.
“The Tambov gunpowder plant of the Russian Federation has been attacked many times before. Now it is putting its operations on pause,” noted the head of the Center for Strategic Communications, Andrii Kovalenko.
