Ukrainian drone flies 3,300 km to strike gas plant in Siberia

A Ukrainian drone has struck the Novy Urengoy gas condensate stabilisation plant in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, reportedly covering a record more than 3,300 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, according to the drone's manufacturer. The strike hit one of the region's key gas condensate facilities.

News of the attack was first published by the Russian-language Telegram channel Exilenova+, which posted footage showing flames and a column of smoke rising above the plant. According to the channel, the facility's design capacity is around 19.5 million tonnes of raw material per year.

An unprecedented distance

Ukrainian outlet Unian noted that the plant lies 2,800 kilometres from the Ukrainian border in a straight line — meaning that even without accounting for any manoeuvring, the drone travelled an unprecedented distance for a Ukrainian strike. Fire Point, the company behind the long-range FP-1 drones, signalled that its aircraft were responsible for the attack, adding that the actual distance covered was even greater than the straight-line figure.

"Guess who flew more than 3,300 kilometres and successfully hit the target," the company wrote in response to news of the strike on the Novy Urengoy plant.

Authorities confirm the attack

The regional governor, Dmitry Artyukhov, confirmed the strike on the facility. He said the drone attack on one of Novy Urengoy's industrial sites had been repelled, but debris from the downed drone sparked a fire. Emergency services are on site, and the governor said the situation is under control.

The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is Russia's principal energy-producing region. According to Unian, it holds more than half of the country's natural gas reserves and accounts for roughly 80% of all Russian gas production. The region also holds substantial oil reserves — over 13% of Russia's total — ranking second in production volume after the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.

Source: novinky.cz