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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A large fire reportedly broke out at a gunpowder plant in the town of Kotovsk in Russia's Tambov Oblast overnight on June 11, Russian Telegram channels reported.
Residents reported hearing multiple explosions amid a Ukrainian drone attack on the region. Videos posted on social media purportedly show a large fire in the vicinity of the plant.
No information was immediately available as to the extent of damage caused.
Russian state media TASS claimed that a large-scale drone attack on the region was repelled by Russian air defense systems, which resulted in a fire. The outlet did not mention an attack on the plant.
Regional Governor Maxim Egorov said that the fire that broke out was extinguished by emergency services — without specifying the location of the blaze. Egorov claimed that there were no casualties as a result of the attack.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify reports of the attack on the plant. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the alleged attack.
The gunpowder plant has previously been the target of Ukrainian attack. In July 2024, the facility was struck with a Ukrainian attack drone, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent. The plant was also previously struck in January 2024 and November 2023.
The Tambov gunpowder plant is one of the largest industrial facilities in Russia that manufactures ammunition for the army, including gunpowder for small arms cartridges.
Its production has been reportedly increased by a third since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The plant was put on the U.S. sanction list in 2023.
Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military assets, oil refineries, and industrial facilities.
On the morning of June 10, drones reportedly attacked targets in Russia's Tatarstan Republic and Leningrad Oblast.
On June 6, drones struck a Russian military plant in nearby Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast.
As peace negotiations stall and Russia refuses the accept a ceasefire, the war has escalated.
Russia intensified aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities in late May, launching some of the heaviest assaults of the full-scale war over three consecutive nights. Less than a week later, Ukraine launched Operation Spiderweb, an audacious mass drone strike that reportedly damaged 41 Russian military planes.
In the days since, Ukraine has continued to target key Russian military assets, launching strikes against missile bases and the Crimean Bridge.
Abbey Fenbert
