In the Russian city of Orel, on the night of 6 November, the «Proton» industrial complex – whose factories manufacture electronic components for Russian weaponry – came under rocket attack. A large-scale fire broke out on the site following the attack. Andriy Klychkov, Governor of the Orel Region, confirmed damage to production facilities in the city’s Sovetsky District, but did not specify the name of the company.
- On the night of 7 November, the industrial district of Orel came under rocket attack.
- OSINT analysts have reported a fire on the premises of the «Proton» factory complex.
- The Russian governor confirmed that the production facilities at one of the enterprises had been damaged.
- «Proton» manufactures electronic components for the «Iskander-M» missiles and the «Pantsir-S1» systems.
The missile strike caused a fire on the factory premises
On the evening of 6 November, a missile alert was issued in Orel, after which local residents reported a series of explosions. Videos of a massive fire in the industrial part of the city have appeared online. According to OSINT analysts, the «Proton» factory was hit.
The geolocation of the published footage points to the industrial complex on Leskova Street, where the company’s production facilities are located. The footage shows flames and thick smoke rising above the buildings. There is as yet no information on the number of missiles or the specific production facilities that have been damaged.
Governor of the Oryol Region Andriy Klychkov acknowledged the consequences of the missile attack. According to him, the production facilities of one of the enterprises in the Sovetsky District of Orel have been partially damaged. Emergency services are working at the scene to deal with the aftermath of the strike and assess the damage.
The Proton plant manufactures electronics for the Iskander-M and Pantsir-S1«
Proton JSC is one of Russia’s manufacturers of optoelectronic equipment and semiconductor components. The company covers the entire production cycle — from the manufacture of crystals to the production of finished electronic devices. Its products are used in both civilian technology and Russian weapon systems.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, the factory manufactures 249LP5 switch-inverters, which are used in the 9M723 ballistic missiles of the «Iskander-M» system. The company also supplies electronic switch modules and integrated circuits for the «Pantsir-S1» anti-aircraft missile and gun system.
In addition, the company manufactures diode modules for the S-71K «Kover» air-launched cruise missiles. The industrial complex is also home to «Proton-Elektrotex», which specialises in power semiconductor devices.
The company had already come under rocket attack in October
Previous attack on an industrial complex «The »Proton’ incident took place on 23 October. At that time, the Ukrainian military reported that the company’s production facilities involved in the manufacture of electronic components for missile systems had been damaged.
In early November, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence released the results of the October strikes against the Russian military-industrial complex. According to the ministry, the main microchip production workshop at the Proton-Elektrotex factory was destroyed, and the building and server equipment were damaged.
Following a further attack on 7 November, the Russian authorities confirmed that production facilities had been damaged, but did not disclose any estimates of the damage. There is currently no information regarding the suspension of the plant’s operations or the destruction of specific production lines.
