On the night of November 10, the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck for the second time at the 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant in the town of Staraya Russa, Novgorod Oblast, Russia. The enterprise is engaged in the repair and modernization of military aviation, including A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft, which the Russian army uses for reconnaissance of air targets and coordination of combat operations.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this. According to the Ukrainian command, explosions occurred on the territory of the plant, after which a fire broke out. The scale of the damage is being clarified.
Even before the official statement of the General Staff, Russian and Ukrainian monitoring channels reported a series of explosions in the area of Staraya Russa. Social media also spread information about a fire and the movement of fire-fighting equipment towards the enterprise.
The governor of Novgorod Oblast, Aleksandr Dronov, confirmed a massive drone attack on the region. According to him, an industrial facility was damaged, but he did not name the specific enterprise. The Russian official also reported damage to two summer houses as a result of falling drone debris. He claimed there were no casualties. Deutsche Welle wrote about this.
The 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant is a major enterprise for the maintenance of Russian military aviation. As explained by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the plant has its own runway, thanks to which heavy aircraft can arrive directly at the enterprise for repair work.
Here they carry out maintenance, repair and modernization of military transport aircraft, which the Russian army uses for the transfer of personnel, weapons and military cargo. In particular, the enterprise works with aviation equipment of the Il-76, Il-78 families and L-410 aircraft, as well as aircraft engines.
A separate area of the plant's work is related to the maintenance of A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. These machines are of particular importance for Russian military aviation due to the limited number of serviceable aircraft and the complexity of their repair.
The A-50 is a specialized aircraft equipped with a powerful radar system. It is capable of detecting and tracking air targets at a distance of hundreds of kilometers, transmitting information to command posts and providing control over the actions of combat aviation.
Such aircraft allow the Russian military to monitor the air situation, detect approaching aircraft and cruise missiles, and coordinate actions of fighter aviation. The data obtained with their help is used in planning and conducting air operations.
According to the estimation of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the cost of one A-50 aircraft is about 350 million dollars. The Ukrainian command claims that Russia has only a few such machines left in working condition. Independently confirming the exact number of combat-capable aircraft of this type is difficult.
The current attack on the plant in Staraya Russa became at least the second in 2026. The previous strike on the enterprise was carried out by the Ukrainian military on March 17.
Subsequently, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that as a result of the March attack, a Russian A-50 aircraft located on the territory of the plant was damaged. According to the Ukrainian side, the aircraft was undergoing maintenance and, presumably, awaiting modernization.
Thus, the enterprise has already been subjected to strikes that directly affected the maintenance of Russian specialized aviation. At the same time, the Ukrainian command has not yet released information about damage to A-50 aircraft as a result of the new attack on November 10.
The General Staff believes that repeated strikes on aircraft repair facilities can increase the time needed to restore Russian military transport and special aircraft. Damage to production infrastructure may complicate maintenance of equipment and return of aircraft to service.
At the same time, the actual impact of the latest attack on the plant's operations has not yet been established. There was no information about the destruction of individual production workshops, damage to equipment or suspension of repair work at the time of the General Staff's report.
The Ukrainian command emphasized that the Defense Forces continue to strike at facilities that ensure Russia's military potential, as part of the exercise of the right to self-defense provided for by Article 51 of the UN Charter.
