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Ukraine strikes Russian plant producing missile and bomb batteries in Yelets, General Staff says

• 2 min read
Ukraine strikes Russian plant producing missile and bomb batteries in Yelets, General Staff says
A photo posted by the Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova Plus, allegedly capturing the aftermath of a reported Ukrainian attack on the Energia plant in the western Russian city of Yelets on Oct. 25, 2026. (Exilenova Plus / Telegram)

A fire broke out on the territory of the Energia plant following an overnight attack on the battery plant in the city of Yelets in western Russia overnight on Oct. 26, Ukraine's General Staff said later that day.

The plant is the sole Russian manufacturer of batteries for glide bomb guidance and correction modules, the General Staff said without specifying the extent of the damage.

It added that the plant, located about 250 kilometers (about 155 miles) from Ukraine, also produces batteries for Iskander-M ballistic missile systems and sea-based cruise missiles.

"The strike complicates the Russian Federation's military's production of power sources for missiles, guided bombs, and other weapons," the General Staff said in its Telegram post.

Earlier on Oct. 25, Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova Plus reported that smoke rose over the whole territory of the Energia plant after several missiles appeared to have hit it in the afternoon. The General Staff has not specified what weapons were used to strike the Energia plant in Russia.

In its statement, the General Staff said that Ukraine had also "destroyed" the main microchip production workshop of Proton-Electrotex Enterprise in Orel, western Russia, on Oct. 23. It added that the attack would likely complicate the Russian production of components used to produce cruise and ballistic missiles, which are often deployed to target Ukrainian cities.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not reacted to the General Staff's statement. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claim.

The attack comes as Ukraine intensifies its long-range attacks inside Russia and across Russian-occupied territories, often targeting defense industrial plants, airfields, and oil refineries.

Earlier on Oct. 26, independent Russian media outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant producing dual-use goods in the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh was likely hit in a Ukrainian drone attack.

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Asami Terajima

Reporter

Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military affairs and front-line developments. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post, focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor's degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured on the Media Development Foundation's 2023 "25 under 25: Young and Bold" list of emerging media makers in Ukraine. She is among the finalists for the U.K.'s One World Media Award 2026 in the Print category and the French Bayeux Calvados-Normandy award 2025 for war correspondents in the Young Reporter category.

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