The factory, 550 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory, is crucial to the Russian war effort. Separately, a swarm of drones attacked and ignited the Novo-Yaroslavsky Refinery in Yaroslavl. A downed unmanned plane killed a child and wounded his parents.

In Cherepovets, another plant AT Apatit – a key Russian producer of ammonium nitrate, used in military explosives – was also hit.

Moscow was forced to ban gasoline exports “with the aim of stabilising prices and ensuring priority supply to the domestic market”.

Ukraine also launched precision strikes on oil-exporting ports Ust-Luga and Primorsk, both seen in flames this week after Putin’s air defences failed to block the drones, and the second-largest oil refinery, Kirishi.

There were warnings today in Russia‘s second city, St. Petersburg, over air pollution from the strikes. The Kremlin also declared the possibility of “force majeure”, with satellite images showing the carnage.

“This is the most serious threat to the export of Russian oil and petroleum products since the beginning of the war,” said oil and gas sector analyst Boris Aronstein. Up to 50% of Putin’s oil exports have been hit, he added.

Flamingo missiles are domestically produced and seen as a major Ukrainian innovation during the war.

Russia struck back overnight with a savage attack on civilians in Black Sea port of Odesa. At least one person died and over a dozen were injured, including a nine-year-old child, in a horrific explosion at a tower block in the city.