Ukraine Says Strike Damaged Oryol Missile-Parts Plant

Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian forces struck the ProtonElectrotex plant in Oryol on October 23, damaging its main production building and complicating production of components for cruise and ballistic missiles. Russian regional reporting also confirmed that missiles hit a factory in the city, but the full extent of the damage and its effect on production have not been independently established. Oryol Governor Andrey Klychkov said missiles struck a factory in the city’s Sovetsky District. Residents reported explosions, fire and smoke. The General Staff identified the target as ProtonElectrotex, a producer of semiconductor devices, LEDs and electronic components. It said the facility’s products are used in Russian weapons systems, including Iskander-M and Pantsir-S1, and named S71 Kover missiles among the systems involving its components. The General Staff said the damage to the main production building could complicate the manufacture of missile components. The reports do not establish how much production was interrupted or how long any disruption might last. One account reported that three people died in a fire linked to the attack, but that claim was not corroborated...