Ukrainian drones hit one of the largest polyethylene producers in Russia
23 December 09:13
On the night of December 23, Ukrainian drones attacked facilities in the city of Budyonovsk, Stavropol Territory, Russia, the region’s governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, reported [Komersant ], citing Russian propaganda media.
“According to preliminary reports, there are no casualties, residential buildings and the city’s life support infrastructure are not damaged. There are outbreaks on the territory of the industrial zone,” Volodymyrov said. He urged local residents “not to help the enemy” and not to post photos and videos of the drone crash.
According to the Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova, the target of the drone strikes was the Stavrolen petrochemical plant. This is confirmed by eyewitness videos.
“Stavrolen is one of the main producers of polyethylene and polypropylene in Russia. The company is part of the Lukoil group. It was ranked third in the rating of the 100 largest companies in the North Caucasus Federal District (NKFD) in terms of sales in 2021.
It is said that the plant produces about 340 thousand tons of ethylene, 319 thousand tons of polyethylene, and 113 thousand tons of polypropylene per year. In 2021, the company produced the 8 millionth ton of polyethylene. Stavrolen’s products are used to make pipes, films, cable insulation, and paints and varnishes. The plant was previously attacked by drones on November 12 and October 29.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry’s report, 29 Ukrainian airplane-type drones were “intercepted and destroyed” by regular air defense systems overnight. In particular, 14 – over the Rostov region, 7 – over the Stavropol Territory, three – over the Belgorod region and Kalmykia, and one – over the Kursk region and the occupied Crimea.
