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Black smoke rising above Bryansk after missile strikes on March 10. Photo: Telegram
On the afternoon of March 10, missiles struck the Russian city of Bryansk, located less than 100 miles from the Ukrainian border. Pro-Kremlin outlet Mash reported that at least one of the strikes hit a plant that produces microchips for mobile devices. Ukraine’s General Staff subsequently released a statement asserting that the plant in question, “Kremniy El,” specializes in discrete semiconductor devices and integrated circuits for modern weapons, including Iskander missiles.
As of the evening of March 10, six people were confirmed killed and 37 injured severely enough to be taken to a hospital, a report by Bryansk Region governor Alexander Bogomaz detailed. The official did not provide further information, nor did he comment on other targets. In a video posted on social media claiming to show the strike, a building is jolted by at least four large blasts as plumes of black smoke rise into the air.
Ukraine’s General Staff added that the attack was carried out using Storm Shadow missiles, which are supplied to Kyiv by the UK:
“As part of a systematic effort to reduce the military-economic potential of the russian aggressor, units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces successfully struck the Kremniy El microelectronics factory in Bryansk with Storm Shadow air-launched missiles,” the General Staff wrote on Telegram, adding that the plant is “a critically important link in the production chain of Russian ‘high-precision’ weapons.”
“The target was hit and significant damage to production facilities was recorded,” the General Staff concluded.
The attack was also confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “An operation has just successfully taken [place] — a plant in Bryansk was hit. This plant manufactures control systems for all types of missiles of the Russian Federation,” The Kyiv Independent cited Zelensky as saying during a media briefing on March 10. The outlet noted that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had informed Zelensky of the strike.
According to open source intelligence (OSINT) channels, the facility was hit by several consecutive strikes, as seen in videos published online. The geolocation of the explosions matches the coordinates of the Kremniy El group’s plant, with the nearby Church of All Saints serving as a landmark in the footage. Other reports showed the aftermath of an alleged missile strike at a major intersection near the plant, with a shopping center and residential area located nearby.
Kremniy El is Russia’s second-largest microelectronics enterprise producing goods for the military, including components for the Pantsir air defense missile and gun system and the Iskander short-range ballistic missile system. Since 2022, the enterprise has been attacked approximately six times. In January 2025, the plant suspended operations after a strike by six drones. Production facilities, a finished-goods warehouse, and power supply infrastructure were damaged. In October 2024, a Ukrainian attack caused a fire at the facility, disrupting production chains.