On June 24, 2025, the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on the Yuzhmash plant named after A.M. Makarov in Dnepr, one of the key enterprises of the post-Soviet defense-industrial complex. According to the Ukrainian side, up to four Iskander-M ballistic missiles were used in the attack.

The strike caused significant damage, and satellite images and published videos show that the plant’s production facilities were virtually destroyed. The facility, known as Pivdenmash (Yuzhmash), played a vital role in maintaining Ukraine’s military capabilities, refurbishing, adapting, and partially manufacturing multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), missile components, and servicing propulsion systems for the Ukrainian military.

The Yuzhmash plant in Dnipro has historically been a center of rocket production since the Soviet era. It produced missiles such as the R-5M, R-12 Dvina, and R-36M Satan, as well as components for space programs, including the Zenit launch vehicle and the first stage for the American Antares rocket. After the conflict began in 2022, the plant reoriented itself to military needs, including upgrading Soviet S-200 missiles for strikes against ground targets and producing components for the Grom-2 MLRS. According to Russian sources, the strike targeted workshops where short-range ballistic missiles were believed to be assembled using Western technology.

Ukrainian authorities confirmed the attack but did not disclose exact casualty figures.