Russia's production of ammonium nitrate fertilizer fell sharply in the first five months of 2026 after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks forced chemical plants into unplanned maintenance, highlighting the growing impact of the war on an industry that supplies both agriculture and explosives.
Ukraine intensified drone strikes on Russian chemical plants earlier this year, targeting facilities that could supply raw materials for weapons production. The attacks hit several major fertilizer and chemical producers, forcing unplanned maintenance that analysts say contributed to the decline in ammonium nitrate and ammonia output.
Output of ammonium nitrate, one of Russia's most widely used nitrogen fertilizers, dropped 9% year-on-year to 4.7 million metric tons in January-May, according to data from the state statistics service Rosstat reviewed by the Vedomosti newspaper. Production in May alone fell 14% from a year earlier to 786,100 tons.
The main reason for the decline was reduced production capacity caused by unscheduled repairs, Viktor Kutlumbetov, a consultant at consultancy Implementa, told Vedomosti.
Rosstat data showed output of ammonia, the main feedstock used to produce ammonium nitrate, fell 7.5% year-on-year to 7.6 million tons in January-May.
