Russia economy meltdown as country 'losing £487k' per day after Ukraine's strikes

 

Ukrainian Drone Strikes Shutter Key Russian Weapons Factory, Inflicting Massive Daily Losses on Kremlin

A major Russian arms production facility has been forced to halt operations after a devastating Ukrainian drone strike, dealing a serious financial and strategic blow to Moscow’s war effort. The targeted plant, critical to Russia’s military supply chain, is now reportedly costing the Kremlin as much as £487,300 per day in lost output.

The facility in question — the Energiya plant in Yelets, Lipetsk region — was hit overnight Saturday. Partially state-owned, Energiya is a core supplier of high-powered batteries used in drones, warships, and Russia’s advanced Iskander and Kinzhal missile systems. These very weapons have been repeatedly unleashed against Ukrainian civilian targets.

Footage from the aftermath revealed fiery explosions lighting up the night sky, followed by a raging inferno that tore through the plant. Emergency crews scrambled to contain the flames, but not before significant damage was done. With production lines now at a standstill, the plant’s shutdown marks one of Ukraine’s most impactful strikes to date against Russia’s military-industrial base.

Kyrylo Shevchenko, former head of Ukraine’s National Bank, emphasized the scale of the disruption in a statement on X (formerly Twitter):

“Russia is now losing between $200,000 and $660,000 per day after Ukrainian strikes forced the shutdown of one of its crucial military factories.”

He added:

“Energiya was producing batteries for the very missiles targeting our cities. In 2024, it received $12 million to expand its operations. Now, it's paying the price.”

Ukraine’s military intelligence service has confirmed the plant’s role in producing specialized chemical power units for guidance systems in Russian aircraft bombs — making it a high-value target.

The strike comes amid a surge in Ukrainian drone and missile operations deep inside Russian territory. Just days earlier, Ukrainian forces carried out successful attacks on ammunition depots in the Krasnodar region and another key weapons factory.

Among the latest targets: the NPO Splav facility in Tula — a major producer of rocket launchers, missiles, and flamethrowers, operated by the Russian defense giant Rostec. That plant also suffered extensive damage after a drone strike ignited a fire in one of its workshops.

In a twist of irony, the Tula strike occurred just three days after Vladimir Putin awarded four employees of the same plant the Marshal Zhukov Prize for excellence in weapons development.

These intensified Ukrainian strikes reflect a deliberate strategic shift: targeting Russia’s military backbone at its source. As precision drone attacks escalate, the costs to the Kremlin’s war machine are becoming harder to hide — or recover from.