Ukrainian Drones Strike Sverdlov Explosives Plant in Russia's Dzerzhinsk

Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Sverdlov explosives plant in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region, overnight into August 19, sparking a large fire and thick smoke over the city. The century-old defense-chemical facility is one of Russia's largest explosives producers and is sanctioned by the US, UK, EU, Japan, and Switzerland; it was previously struck on April 30, 2026. Separately, Ukrainian strikes killed a civilian in Shebekinsky district, Belgorod region, and a woman was killed by Russian fire in Donetsk, with 18 people injured across the front in the prior 24 hours.