The Kremni El microchip factory in western Russia’s Bryansk region has halted production following one of the largest nighttime Ukrainian drone strikes on the country since the start of the war, local authorities and media reported Friday.
“Six drones (hit Kremniy El) on the night of January 24, damaging part of the production facilities and the warehouse of finished products,” the factory’s press service told the official TASS news agency .
Kremniy El said the attack disrupted the factory’s power supply and assembly lines, but no casualties were reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense systems destroyed or intercepted 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 37 in the Bryansk region, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the Russian-Ukrainian border. .
Kremniy El, one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of microelectronics products, employs 1,700 people and has an annual production volume of 3.9 billion rubles ($39.7 million).
The factory supplies 94% of its production to the Russian Defense Ministry, including components for the Pantsir and S-500 missile systems, as well as Kalibr cruise missiles, according to local media.
This is not the first time the facility has been targeted by Ukrainian drones, with at least two strikes reported since Ukraine’s full-scale invasion.
