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Partisans claim sabotage at Russian plant producing missile components

2 min read
Partisans claim sabotage at Russian plant producing missile components
A screenshot from a video published by the Atesh partisan group shows a fire at what the group says is an electrical substation supplying the VZPP-Sborka plant in Voronezh, Russia. (Atesh/Telegram)

An agent of Ukrainian partisan group Atesh sabotaged the power supply to an electronics plant in Russia's Voronezh that produces components used in Kh-101 and Iskander-K missiles and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems, the group said on Sept. 16.

"Our agent, after a long study of the facility, detailed planning, and searching for weak points, managed to infiltrate an electrical substation near the VZPP-Sborka plant," Atesh said. "After bypassing security, he destroyed the main distribution cabinet supplying the enterprise and safely left the city."

According to the group, the sabotage caused a voltage surge and cut power to the plant's workshops. Atesh claimed that restoring full electricity supplies took several weeks, disrupting deliveries of key electronic components and delaying the production of Russian missiles and air defense systems.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims. Atesh did not disclose when the operation took place, saying it delayed publication to protect its agents.

Voronezh, a city in southwestern Russia, lies roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

VZPP-Sborka is a Russian manufacturer of semiconductors, integrated circuits, and power modules whose components are used in several Russian weapons systems, according to Ukraine's military intelligence.

The plant produces electronic components used in Kh-101 cruise missiles, semiconductor arrays found in the onboard computer of the 9M727 cruise missile used by the Iskander-K system, and components for Pantsir-S1 air defense systems.

The Voronezh plant had already been targeted by Ukraine on June 22, when the Air Force struck the facility with air-launched cruise missiles, according to the General Staff.

The Atesh partisan group has claimed numerous sabotage operations against Russian military infrastructure in Ukraine's occupied territories and in Russia.

On Sept. 7, the group claimed that a Russian service member working with Atesh sabotaged a communications tower near Perm ahead of a Ukrainian strike on the nearby Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery.

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Polina Moroziuk

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Polina Moroziuk is a junior reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She holds an MSc in Human Rights and Politics from the London School of Economics and a BSc from the University of Amsterdam. Before joining the newsroom, she worked in human rights advocacy and as a project assistant at a research and consultancy organisation, supporting projects for international organisations including UNICEF and War Child, with a focus on Ukraine and the Middle East.

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