Ukrainian drones strike 'only Russian facility' producing helium for rockets, HUR source claims
Editor's note: The story is being updated.
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) drones on Aug. 11 struck the Orenburg Helium Plant, a key Russian facility lying some 1,200 kilometers from the front line in Ukraine, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
"This is the only facility in Russia that produces a critically important component used in rocket manufacturing, the space industry, and the aviation sector," the source claimed.
Local residents reportedly heard drones flying overhead and a series of explosions near the plant. At 8 p.m. local time on Aug. 11, Russian authorities closed off a section of the M-5 Ural highway near Perevolotsky and Kholodnye Klyuchi, where the factory is located.
The extent of potential damage to the plant remains unclear.
Orenburg Oblast Acting Governor Yevgeny Solntsev reported that two drones were shot down over the region on the evening of Aug. 11. The official did not comment on any possible damage or casualties. A drone raid alert was also issued on the morning of Aug. 12.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Orenburg Oblast lies at Russia's southern border with Kazakhstan, while the helium facility is located roughly 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
The intelligence source described the helium plant as "Russia's sole helium production facility and one of the largest in Europe, with an annual capacity to process around 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas."
However, Russian media report that while the Orenburg Helium Plant was the country's only helium producer before 2021, Russia also operates Gazprom's Amur Gas Processing Plant in the Far East and another helium plant in Irkutsk Oblast as of 2025.
The noble gas can be used, among other applications, to pressurize and purge rocket propulsion systems.
The HUR source told the Kyiv Independent that the plant is one of the key facilities of the Russian military-industrial complex and is directly involved in Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Kyiv has escalated long-range drone strikes against Russian military and industrial targets deep in the rear, aiming to undermine Moscow's ability to wage war.
Another wave of Ukrainain drones reportedly targeted Russia overnight on Aug. 12, with drone strikes reported at a plant producing synthetic sapphires in Stavropol.
