August 16 Strike on Kamensky Defense Plant Damaged Five Production Buildings and Air Defense Systems

The drone strike on the Kamensky Combine plant on the night of August 16 damaged five production facilities.

Exilenova+ published a satellite image with an analysis of the damage.

The air defense systems protecting the plant were also hit. These included positions of a Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft artillery system and multifunctional target illumination and guidance radars for S-300/S-400 systems, where signs of fire were observed.

Notably, the production buildings were additionally protected by earth berms and anti-drone nets. However, judging by the imagery, the nets failed to provide adequate protection: some buildings show roof penetrations and torn anti-drone nets.

According to Yuriy Slyusar, governor of the Rostov region, Russian air defense systems shot down more than 150 UAVs over the region that night. However, he did not disclose the total number of drones involved in the attack.

The FIRMS service detected a thermal signature following the attack at 1:14 a.m. on August 16. It persisted and expanded until 2:20 a.m.

According to the OSINT resource VARTA, FSE Kamensky Combine is one of the largest chemical enterprises in southern Russia and has the status of an anchor enterprise.

The plant is located at coordinates 48.29943029832428, 40.17984650497104, approximately 10-15 km from Ukraine’s state border.

Due to its proximity to Ukraine, the facility is within range of a significant number of weapons systems in service with the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The company’s primary line of business is the production of military equipment. The plant manufactures artillery shells, propellants, explosives, detonators, fuzes, primers, precursors, and other ammunition components.

The facility’s grounds have already been targeted by Ukrainian airstrikes. On December 20, 2024, the Ukrainian Air Force attacked the facility with Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

At the time, analysts from the CyberBoroshno group published satellite imagery showing critical damage to two buildings at the plant’s production site.