Ukraine hits key Russian plant in occupied Luhansk second time in month, grinding production to halt
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Ukrainian forces struck the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant in Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast for the second time in one month, halting production at the site, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on April 4.
The plant is a key industrial facility supporting Russian military production. It was last hit by Ukrainian forces in a reported strike on March 20.
The SBU targeted the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant in a joint operation alongside Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), locating the factory's critical production facilities and attacking them with FP-2 drones, the agency said.
FP-2s are produced by Ukraine's controversial defense firm Fire Point, which manufactures Flamingo missiles.
The attack damaged blast furnaces, key production shops, gas pipelines, distillation columns, and electrical substations — all critical to the ongoing operations of the plant, the SBU reported. The extent of the damage forced the facility to halt operations.
The SBU published video footage of the attack, showing hits on various parts of the facility and flames rising from the plant.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the SBU's claims at the time of publication.
The Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant has been under Russian control since 2015, when it was seized during Russia's Donbas invasion of eastern Ukraine. According to the SBU, the plant's products are now supplied to the Russian machine-building company Uralvagonzavod, which manufactures military equipment.
The company produces T-90 battle tanks and Msta-S howitzers for the Russian armed forces, the SBU reports.
Ukrainian forces launch regular strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. In recent days, the Ukrainian military has reported a number of successful operations in occupied Ukraine, including attacks on fuel trains in Luhansk Oblast and drone storage sites at the Kirovske airfield in Crimea.
