Fire reported at Russia’s Azot chemical plant after drone attack
A fire was reported at the Azot chemical plant in Berezniki, Russia’s Perm Krai, amid a drone attack, according to an open-source intelligence analysis cited by the Astra news outlet.
Smoke reported over the industrial site
Smoke was seen rising above the chemical plant, which belongs to the Uralchem group, Astra reported, citing open-source intelligence analysis. The reported fire comes amid a drone attack in the region, but the extent of any damage to the facility has not been independently confirmed.
Witnesses reported hearing air defence fire in Berezniki. Local authorities had not commented on the reported incident at the time of publication.
Drone alert issued in Perm Krai
At around 6 a.m., the regional Ministry for Territorial Security announced a drone attack.
“Air defence forces in Perm Krai are repelling an attack by enemy drones. Emergency services are working at the scene,” the ministry said.
At around 7 a.m., sirens began sounding in the streets of Perm, the regional capital. A “Carpet” alert was introduced in the region, restricting air traffic within a 50-kilometre radius of Berezniki, according to the source report.
In a report on the destruction of 443 drones overnight, Russia’s Defence Ministry also listed Perm Krai among the Russian regions and Russian-annexed Crimea where air defence forces had reportedly intercepted drones.
The ministry’s statement did not independently establish whether the Azot plant had been hit or damaged.
Chemical plant supplies industrial and defence-related production
Azot’s Berezniki branch is the successor to the Berezniki Chemical Combine and is part of Uralchem. The facility produces ammonia, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, urea, nitrite-nitrate salts and other chemical products.
Nitric acid is used in the manufacture of explosives and propellants. According to the source report, the plant’s products are also linked to the operations of several Russian defence-industrial facilities, including the Perm Powder Plant, the Ural plant in Solikamsk, the Aleksin Chemical Combine and the Biysk Oleum Plant.
The facility employs approximately 2,500 people.
Astra reported another attack on the Azot plant on September 11. The Berezniki facility had also been targeted in October 2025, according to previous reporting by the outlet.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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