The Ukrainian Armed Forces Attacked An Aircraft Factory In Russia: A Fire Is Raging

10.11.2026, 8:30

Explosions are being heard near Novgorod at a site where an Il-76 and an Il-78 are being repaired.

Russian military aircraft carrying equipment and personnel may be left without a key maintenance facility—explosions were heard near a plant in the Novgorod Region that had previously been attacked by Ukrainian forces.

On the night of November 10, a series of explosions was heard in Russia’s Novgorod Region. The likely target of the attack may have been the 123rd aircraft repair plant in the city of Staraya Russa, which repairs and modernizes the Russian Federation’s military transport aircraft, including the Il-76 and Il-78.

OSINT sources, including Exilenova+, reported on the explosions and the likely damage to the facility.

According to WarRadar, which tracks Exilenova+ reports, explosions rocked the Novgorod Region around 02:05 UTC on November 10.

What is known about the 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant in the city of Staraya Russa

The 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant is located in the city of Staraya Russa. It is part of the Russian state-owned corporation “Rostec” through the companies “Aviaremont” and the United Aircraft Corporation.

According to information from the Ukrainian General Staff, the facility specializes in the full cycle of repair and modernization of military transport aircraft and their components. Specifically, this involves the maintenance of military transport aircraft, refueling aircraft, and other aviation equipment.

According to the Ukrainian portal “War and Sanctions,” the plant specializes in repairing the following aircraft:

Il-76 – a heavy military transport aircraft. The Russian military uses it to transport personnel, military equipment, weapons, and cargo.

Il-78 – an aerial refueling aircraft designed to refuel other aircraft in flight. It enables combat aircraft to extend their range and the duration of their missions.

The L-410 is a light multipurpose aircraft used to transport passengers and cargo, particularly in military operations.

In addition to aircraft, the company repairs D-30KP and AI-20 aircraft engines, TG-16M auxiliary power units, as well as AV-68 and AV-72 propellers. In other words, the plant works not only on aircraft fuselages but also on their critical technical components and systems.

It should be noted that the 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant has its own runway. This allows heavy aircraft to be received directly on the plant’s premises and, upon completion of repair work, to undergo testing and inspections.

Any damage to such a facility would be extremely devastating for the Russian military.

The facility is currently subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Ukraine.

The plant was already attacked in March: at that time, a hangar and an A-50 aircraft were damaged.

The 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant had already been targeted by Ukrainian defense forces on March 17, 2026.

At that time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine officially announced that facilities at the plant in Stara Rus had been struck. According to publicly available information, a hangar used to service Il-76 and L-410 aircraft was hit. The General Staff explained that the operation was carried out as part of efforts to reduce the capabilities of the Russian military-industrial complex.

Subsequently, on March 20, the General Staff provided further details on the results of that attack. The Ukrainian military also confirmed damage to a Russian A-50 long-range early warning aircraft, which was on the plant’s premises for maintenance and was possibly awaiting modernization. This information was also confirmed by satellite images published by Radio Free Europe. The images showed damage to the roof of one of the plant’s hangars.

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