On Monday, Aug. 11, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) drones hit the Orenburg Helium Plant in the city of Orenburg – the only facility in Russia producing helium, a vital component for missile manufacturing, space technology, and the aviation industry, Kyiv Post sources in HUR said.
Orenburg Oblast borders Kazakhstan in southern Russia, with the helium plant situated about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from Ukraine’s front line.
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Local residents reported seeing the drones overhead, followed by a series of powerful explosions in the plant’s area. Around 8 p.m., local authorities closed a section of the federal M-5 “Ural” highway near Perevolotsky and Kholodnye Klyuchi – the location of the targeted facility.
The Orenburg Helium Plant is one of the largest in Europe, with an annual capacity to process about 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Helium from the plant is used extensively in missile systems, satellite programs, and aerospace production, HUR sources said early Tuesday morning.
Intelligence sources say the facility plays a direct role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, making it a legitimate military target under international law. The strike marks a significant blow to Russia’s military-industrial complex, hitting a critical supply chain link for its missile program.
Yesterday Kyiv Post reported that Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched a precision drone strike on Russia’s Arzamas Instrument-Building Plant in Nizhny Novgorod, a key military-industrial facility supplying components for cruise missiles used against Ukrainian cities.
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Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is located in central Russia, northeast of Moscow and lies about 760 kilometers (471 miles) from Ukraine’s border.
The plant is part of Russia’s military-industrial complex and manufactures gyroscopic devices, control systems, onboard computers, and other components – including those used in Kh-32 and Kh-101 cruise missiles, which are routinely launched by the Russian military to strike Ukrainian cities.