Russian forces attacked a company of Aznauri brandy in Odesa region on September 28
Executive summary
Multiple independent Ukrainian and international outlets report that on the night of 27–28 September 2025 Russian forces struck the Akkerman (Bilhorod‑Dnistrovskyi) Distillery — producer of the Aznauri cognac brand — damaging the bottling plant and warehouses and destroying roughly 250,000 bottles of product; companies and news outlets say there were no casualties and that wine production elsewhere was unaffected [1] [2] [3] [4]. Reporting places the strike within a wider, large‑scale missile and drone assault on Ukraine that night in which hundreds of UAVs and dozens of missiles were used [5] [6].
1. What happened: a targeted strike on a distillery during a mass attack
Ukrainian media and the company say the Akkerman Distillery, which houses production and storage for the Aznauri cognac brand, was hit during a massive night‑long Russian assault on 27–28 September; the bottling workshop and warehouses were destroyed or damaged, and the company reported significant loss of finished bottles while stressing no employees were killed [1] [2] [4]. Several outlets link the distillery damage to the same large wave of strikes that involved “nearly six hundred UAVs and more than 40 missiles,” indicating the attack on the plant was part of a broad campaign rather than an isolated incident [5] [6].
2. Scale of the loss: numbers reported and corporate response
Industry and local reporting quantify the destruction: The Akkerman site reportedly lost about 250,000 bottles of ready‑to‑ship cognac, and the strike affected roughly 3,640 sq. metres of facilities according to trade coverage; the company says it maintains sufficient stocks elsewhere and is taking steps to resume production and seek alternative capacities [3] [4] [7]. Drinks industry outlets note Aznauri’s large global volume (1.6m nine‑litre cases in 2024) to frame potential market impact, and the firm publicly committed to preserving jobs and tax payments [7] [4].
3. Civilian harm and environmental effects: what sources say and don’t say
All cited reports emphasize there were no casualties at the distillery specifically [1] [2]. Local coverage also estimates environmental damage from fires and pollution at about UAH 300,000 following the broader attack in Odesa region, but precise environmental or long‑term contamination studies are not presented in the available reporting [6]. Available sources do not mention independent on‑site environmental sampling or international verification of environmental impacts.
4. Context of the wider campaign and tactical picture
Multiple outlets place the hit on Akkerman amid a concentrated Russian campaign that night striking Kyiv, Odesa and other targets with drones and missiles; Kyiv and regional reporting document widespread infrastructure damage and energy strikes in the same period [5] [4] [8]. This contextualization suggests the distillery was one of many industrial and civilian‑facing targets struck during a single, coordinated wave rather than an isolated commercial sabotage [5] [4].
5. Competing narratives and reliability of accounts
Ukrainian news agencies, the company’s own statements and international trade press uniformly describe Russian forces as the attacker and characterize the event as destruction from air and drone strikes [1] [2] [4]. Some outlets use emphatic language — e.g., “russian terrorist forces” — reflecting Ukrainian wartime framing; other trade outlets adopt neutral terms like “airstrike” or “bombed,” but all cite the same company or local officials [9] [7]. There is no source among the provided results offering a Russian government claim of responsibility denial or alternative attribution; available sources do not mention such counterclaims.
6. Economic and market implications: immediate and medium term
Reports stress immediate inventory losses but also point to buffer stocks and alternative warehouses that the company says will prevent market shortages in the short term; industry coverage notes Aznauri’s scale and recent growth to underline resilience and the limited expected disruption to supply chains [3] [4] [7]. Longer‑term effects — on investment, insurance costs, or regional employment — are not documented in the current reporting and thus remain uncertain; available sources do not mention detailed economic impact assessments beyond company statements.
7. What’s missing and how to follow up
Independent verification (satellite imagery, open‑source forensics) and a Russian government response are absent from the cited reporting; the sources do not include on‑the‑ground investigations by neutral international bodies or Russian official statements [1] [2] [4]. For clearer attribution, environmental assessment, and a fuller economic picture, seek satellite imagery, defence ministry logs, independent environmental testing results, and any official Russian comment not present in these sources.
Summary: Multiple corroborating Ukrainian and international outlets report that Russian strikes on 27–28 September destroyed bottling and storage at the Akkerman Distillery (Aznauri cognac), destroying ~250,000 bottles but causing no reported fatalities; the incident is reported as part of a large drone‑and‑missile campaign that night, while independent verification and Russian responses are not present in the available reporting [1] [5] [2] [3] [4].