Drone Strike Hits Russian Plant Making Fuel Components for Kh

Strike drones attacked the Redkinsky Experimental Plant in Russia’s Tver region, triggering explosions and a fire at a chemical facility linked to the country’s defense industry and production of components used in long-range cruise missiles, according to Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ on October 9.

Footage published after the attack showed drones flying over the area, followed by explosions and a fire near the industrial complex. Residents also reported hearing Russian air defenses operating during the raid.

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Tver regional governor Vitaly Korolev later confirmed that a fire had broken out at the plant in the town of Redkino following a drone attack. He said employees had been evacuated to shelters in time, no one was injured, and emergency crews subsequently extinguished the blaze.

The Redkinsky Experimental Plant is one of the larger chemical manufacturing facilities in the Tver region and specializes in small-volume specialty chemicals. It produces more than 40 types of products used by Russia’s aviation, aerospace, and other industrial sectors.

Among its products are ferrocene derivatives used as combustion catalysts in solid-fuel rocket engines, as well as specialized materials, protective coatings, and fuel additives. These chemicals have applications across both civilian and military manufacturing.

According to Ukraine’s Security Service, the plant also produces components for Decilin-M, a specialized synthetic fuel used by Russian Kh-55 and Kh-101 cruise missiles. The facility is additionally linked to the production of additives for diesel fuel and aviation kerosene.

The Kh-101 is one of Russia’s principal air-launched long-range cruise missiles and has been used extensively in strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure throughout the full-scale war.

The plant’s role in Russia’s defense and chemical sectors has already drawn international sanctions. The United Kingdom imposed restrictions on the enterprise in September 2025, citing its activities in sectors considered strategically important to the Russian government and its military-industrial base.

Previously, Russia’s far northern Yamalo-Nenets region started offering mobile fire groups $12,000 for every incoming drone they destroy, underscoring growing concern over Ukrainian long-range strikes reaching some of the country’s most remote oil and gas infrastructure.

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