A British-owned cigarette factory has been engulfed by fire after a Russian strike, in the latest attack to hit a major industrial site in Ukraine.
The British American Tobacco Ukraine factory in Pryluky, in Chernihiv Oblast east of Kyiv, was hit during the attack, sending firefighters rushing to the scene as flames took hold.
All employees were reportedly inside a shelter when the strike landed and no injuries have been recorded.
One woman suffered an acute stress reaction and was subsequently treated, according to local media.
The factory is owned by British American Tobacco and has been operated by the company since 1993. It produces some of the world’s best-known cigarette brands, including Kent, Lucky Strike, Rothmans, Dunhill and Pall Mall.
The attack threatens a major local employer in Pryluky, with BAT employing more than 800 people and around 400 of those workers based in the city.
The factory’s output is also shipped overseas, with cigarettes exported to markets including Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Poland, Hungary and Romania, as well as Croatia and other countries.
The strike is the latest reminder of the danger facing businesses that have continued operating inside Ukraine despite Russia’s relentless campaign of missile and drone attacks, and it is not the first time a tobacco giant has found itself caught in the crossfire.
Earlier this year, a Russian missile attack damaged part of the Philip Morris tobacco factory in Kharkiv. No injuries were reported, but the strike triggered a major blaze which engulfed more than 5,000 square metres of the facility. Philip Morris said at the time: “The company is in constant contact with emergency services and is providing the necessary assistance.
The company continues to fulfill its obligations to the state budget, partners, and consumers.
“We are clarifying the circumstances and will provide additional information if necessary.”
The latest attack comes as Ukrainian cities and industrial centres remain under threat from Russian strikes, with factories, warehouses and other infrastructure repeatedly caught up in the fighting.
For businesses still operating in Ukraine, the challenge is stark: keep factories running, preserve jobs and maintain supplies while protecting workers from a war that continues to reach deep into the country’s civilian economy.
At Pryluky, employees escaped injury by taking shelter before the strike hit. But the flames at the British-owned factory offer another stark illustration of how far the war has penetrated into the everyday industrial life of Ukraine.
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