Drone Strike Damages Key Facilities at Russia’s Largest Gas Chemical Complex in Orenburg

On June 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck key facilities at the Orenburg gas processing and helium plants.

Satellite images of the damage were published by the Telegram channel Exilenova+.

The plant sustained serious damage, as drones struck the gas processing facilities.

Satellite images also confirm damage to a facility on the grounds of the helium plant.

As a reminder, on the morning of June 24, local authorities reported a massive drone attack on the region. According to administration officials, Russian air defense forces allegedly shot down several drones over an industrial facility in Orenburg.

The Orenburg gas processing plant is located in the village of Kholodnye Klyuchi, which is part of the city of Orenburg, and is owned by Gazprom.

The distance from the Ukrainian border to the targeted facility exceeds 1,000 kilometers. Drones had already attacked this plant in October of last year. The facility is one of the key elements of Russia’s gas infrastructure and the largest gas-chemical complex in the world—its annual capacity is approximately 37.5 billion cubic meters of gas and over 1 million metric tons of gas condensate.

At the same time, the helium plant is the only facility in Russia that produces high-purity helium. It extracts helium from natural gas at the Orenburg field (about 8–9 million m³ per year under normal conditions).

This resource is critically important for rocket technology—particularly for cooling and fuel systems—the space industry, and military technologies such as radars and sensors.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that on June 26, drones attacked the Russian Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk, the Tula region, which, among other things, produces components for explosives.

The plant specializes in the production of nitrogen fertilizers, including ammonia, urea, and other chemical products. It is part of EuroChem Group. In addition, the plant manufactures chemical components necessary for the production of explosives at Russian factories.