Panic Has Broken Out In The Smolensk Region Of The Russian Federation

• 26.02.2026, 18:13

Dorogobuzh residents want to flee the city after an attack on a chemical plant.

In the early morning of February 25, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked the Smolensk region. The strikes hit the Dorogobuzh PJSC plant, which produces ammonia and nitrate, and started a fire. Residents of the town of Dorogobuzh and surrounding villages bought up bottled water and essential food in the first hours after the attack. The region's governor, Vasily Anokhin, promised to evacuate residents. But by the evening of February 25, no evacuation had been organized, writes "Sever. Realities".

"War and earthquake at the same time"

Residents of Dorogobuzh and the villages of Polybino and Novo-Mikhailovka nearest to the plant say that the attack began between 4.30 and 5 a.m. on February 25.

- We live on Mira Street. It wasn't even 5 o'clock when I heard a sharp, grinding sound - something drove along the house," says Marina (the names of all interlocutors have been changed for their safety) from Dorogobuzh. - I woke up my husband and he ran to the window while I was gathering the children. And there it was already blazing over the factory. We wondered what it was, whether we should run, because there was nothing online yet. What is it? Something went off at the factory? Then why is it flying in the streets? Half an hour later there was such a wave, such a rumble, everything rattled that we really thought it was an earthquake. Then the windows inside the apartment literally flew in. On the site of the factory - not just a fire, but a huge bonfire. The sleep was gone, we started thinking about where to go. And whether it was exactly now, because drones were flying right outside the window, and from time to time they were shot down (with missiles, apparently). They were shot down right above the house, so it was scary to run. And then it became clear that there was no way to run: all the roads were blocked.

The Investigative Committee and the regional governor later confirmed that about 30 UAVs equipped with explosive devices had attacked Dorogobuzh. The plant is located 120 kilometers east of Smolensk and about a hundred kilometers from Vyazma.

Officially, this company produces mineral fertilizers. However, ammonium nitrate, which is included in the list of production, is used, among other things, in the manufacture of explosives. According to information on the company's website, the annual output of ammonia reaches 810 thousand tons, NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) - 850 thousand tons, ammonium nitrate - 1.5 million tons, nitric acid - 1.5 million tons. Dorogobuzh is part of Acron Group, 94% of which is owned by billionaire Vyacheslav Kantor.

- The plant has always been under the military classification, and it is difficult to get a job there. My father was turned down at one time, presumably because of his criminal record," says Yelena, a resident of Smolensk. - But another relative has been working there for more than 10 years. Or rather, worked. He died today (the day of the attack). He worked in the security service, they had a special unit, he threw himself into the ammonia shop and burned to death. Two other coworkers died with him. And the workers of the shops where the explosions occurred - fires have been burning there for several hours. The technological line, where the "big ammonia" was produced, was destroyed, says the aunt. There was an explosion right in the workshop. Many [plant employees] were pulled out of the fire, taken to the district hospital. But then some died, already after hospitalization. Three rescuers, like my relative. The rest worked in the ammonia shop.

The Smolensk Region Prosecutor's Office reports the following about the fires: "When UAV debris fell on the territory of the plant, a fire broke out. Infrastructure elements, the fire station building, special equipment were damaged."

"After all, this is a disaster on the scale of the region."

The residents of Dorogobuzh admit that they are afraid to stay in their hometown, but there is no evacuation promised by the governor.

- How could they be so negligent about safety? What were we waiting for? It is less than 200 kilometers to Ukraine. To Shchorsa (a town in the Chernigov region of Ukraine, now called Snovsk - SR), if you go in a straight line - 150 kilometers from Dorogobuzh," says local resident Sergei. - The plant is a military facility, in fact. And they don't even have protection against 30 "birds". And it's a regional disaster - chemicals, fire. This [ammonium nitrate] is a huge bomb if you mix it with TNT and dinitronaphthalene. We got away with small explosions.

A neighbor of the interviewee from Uritskogo Street says that the water was cut off in the entire neighborhood almost immediately after the explosions.

- I don't understand their rescue strategy. So far, everything has been shut off and closed (even kindergartens and schools), there is no water, there is no bread in the neighborhood stores, the roads to the exit are blocked. How will we be rescued? What kind of town or village is he [the governor] going to evacuate? - Svetlana is indignant.

The village of Polibino (12 kilometers from Dorogobuzh) says that they know nothing about the evacuation, but notes that the plant "has long suffered".

- We have a wind of chemicals coming from that direction. I don't know what kind of filters they put there, but every second person in the village is asthmatic. My family and I ended up moving to Vasino, a hundred kilometers away from Dorogobuzh, in the opposite direction from Smolensk," says Kirill, a former resident of Polybino. - Now, apparently, everyone from Polybino and Novo-Mikhailovka will be evacuated to us.

"In order to minimize possible threats to the population, the issue of evacuating the residents of the nearby settlement is being considered," said Governor Vasily Anokhin.

Which settlement may be evacuated, the head of the region did not specify. Within a radius of 3-5 kilometers from the plant are villages (clockwise from north to south): Filino, Eliseenki, Pushkarevo, Mamyrkino, Novo-Mikhailovskoye, Egorievo.

After 11 hours after the accident, regional governor Anokhin announced the elimination of the fire.

"Small pockets of smoldering are being spilt," the head of the region said in his Telegram channel. - Rescuers continue to work on the site, ambulance crews are on duty. A team of clinical psychologists has left Smolensk, they will work with the relatives of the victims."

The residents of Dorogobuzh and surrounding villages stopped commenting on the emergency several hours after the explosion. In private conversations, they admit that they are "strongly advised to keep quiet," threatening them with, among other things, "an article for dissemination."

In the network, former residents of the district or neighboring regions continue to comment:

"It seems that they have already changed their minds about evacuating. They say everything has been extinguished already."

"One of the most dangerous plants in the region, if not the most dangerous. Worse than chemical weapons. God forbid ammonia from there gets into the Dnieper (which already happened once in Soviet times). Then there will be an ecological disaster for the whole region".

"There is a village Polibino in the direction of Boldino, it is worth a trip to see what the constant blowing from the plant does to people for 60 years. You can make zombie movies."

"So it's been 6 hours. Can you elaborate? Has a task force been set up, what is the situation around the plant, is there an ammonia leak?"

"And the head of the region? Do the heads of border regions announce events at once and go personally to the places?"