The governor of Russia's Lipetsk region identified the plant, located in the city of Lipetsk, about 400 km north of the Ukrainian border, as supplying about 18% of Russia's steel output.
Fire at Novolipetsk steel plant. Photo: Moscow Times
He said a fire that appeared to have been caused by a drone strike had been extinguished at the plant, run by the Novolipetsk steelmaker, and there were no casualties. “There has been no significant impact on the plant’s operations,” he added on Saturday evening.
Ukrainian sources said the attack, a joint operation by the GUR military intelligence service and the SBU security service, caused a large fire and the staff were evacuated.
“Raw materials from this enterprise are used to produce Russian missiles, artillery, drones. So it is a legitimate goal for Ukraine,” the source said.
Video posted on social media, believed to be from Lipetsk, showed an explosion, with orange flames lighting up the night sky. Novolipetsk said the fire broke out at 1:40 a.m. The Lipetsk plant, which specializes in flat steel, produces 80 percent of Novolipetsk’s steel products.
Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Lipetsk, Kursk and Tula regions on the night of the incident. Novolipetsk said its Russian operations do not have the capacity to produce military steel, but only roll steel for ordinary civilian use.
From left to right: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo arrive to lay flowers at a memorial to fallen soldiers in Kiev, Ukraine on February 24, 2024. Photo: AP
Also on the day the Russia-Ukraine conflict marked its second anniversary, four Western leaders, including the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium, traveled to Kiev on Saturday to show their commitment to stand with Ukraine.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in the Ukrainian capital overnight by train from neighboring Poland, the Italian government said in a statement.
Ms Meloni is expected to hold a video conference later on Sunday from Kiev with leaders from the G7, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to join the discussions.
Huy Hoang (according to Moscow Times, AP, Reuters)
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