Ukrainian special services conduct operation, shutting down plant crucial to Russia – sources

Ukrainian forces used drones to target power substations in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on 1 July, stopping the operations of the Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant named after Aleksei Ugarov, which is located in Russia's Voronezh Oblast.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)

Details: The attack was a joint operation by DIU and Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS). The Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant is Russia's only integrated metallurgical facility.

Ukrainska Pravda sources in DIU stated that the plant ceased operations following the destruction of two major power substations in Belgorod Oblast by kamikaze drones: Stary Oskol substation near the village of Neznamovo and Metallurgicheskaya substation near the village of Volokonovskoye.

The operation reportedly resulted in a complete power outage at the plant, which shut down all electric arc furnaces with frozen metal. It may take several months to restart them.

Sources emphasise that this plant plays a crucial part in the Russian defence industrial base (DIB), manufacturing high-quality steel, including alloyed speciality steels for the automotive and engineering sectors.

The following Russian defence industry companies use the plant's products in their operations: GAZ, UAZ, KAMAZ, and the plants belonging to the EPK and SKF companies producing bearings.

Background: On 1 July, Russia reported that power outages began in its Voronezh and Kursk oblasts after a drone attack.

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