Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Stavrolen Petrochemical Plant in Budyonnovsk

Ukrainian strike drones struck the Russian Stavrolen petrochemical plant in the city of Budyonnovsk, Stavropol Krai, on the night of December 23, sparking a fire at the facility.

The Exilenova+ Telegram channel shared eyewitness videos from the scene.

Local authorities confirmed that a fire broke out in an industrial area, claiming there were no casualties. However, Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov did not specify which facility was targeted in the attack.

Meanwhile, monitoring channels, citing local residents, claim that the strike specifically targeted the major Russian Stavrolen petrochemical plant.

A number of photos and videos have been published on social media showing several intense fires burning on the plant’s premises, visible from a distance.

The Stavrolen plant is a major Russian producer of polyethylene, polypropylene, benzene, vinyl acetate, and other petrochemical products. It is part of the Lukoil corporate structure.

It is claimed that the plant produces about 340,000 tons of ethylene, 319,000 tons of polyethylene, and 113,000 tons of polypropylene annually.

Despite the company presenting its output as exclusively civilian, such plants are in fact also involved in producing polyethylene for military purposes – primarily for insulating components and wire casings used in drones, missiles, electronic warfare systems, and similar equipment.

A previous strike by Ukrainian drones on this Russian facility took place on the night of November 12. At that time, a fire also broke out on the plant’s premises.