A first fire devastated a Russian factory in Yekaterinburg that produces military equipment and components, the local government reported on Tuesday.
The fire devastated 800 meters of NPO Avtomatiki, a subsidiary of local Russian company Roscosmos, before being extinguished, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said. Local media reported that the roof and walls of the building collapsed.
Factories dedicated to the production of essential parts of the Russian war device continued to have a complicated month, with one of the largest brands of military electronics in Russia burning in smoke in Ekaterinberg, the “NPO Avtomatiki” defense plant. pic. twitter . com/EO6yUVPbQ6
The plant develops and produces electronic systems for missile complexes and manufactures systems for Russian Soyuz-2 launch vehicles, designed for missions in low-Earth orbit.
Many mysterious fires have broken out in Russia since President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Ukraine rarely claims responsibility for movements on Russian soil.
Photographs that circulated showed a huge column of black smoke rising into the air.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said firefighters were racing to put out a fire that engulfed a building “with chemicals. “
The cause of the fire is still unclear, but local publication E1 reported that welding work was underway when the fire ruptured. “It is possible that there are two oxygen cylinders at the site,” the site said.
The plant’s press service denied the reports, telling Russia’s official RIA Novosti news agency: “We are commenting on the explanation why yet. I can say that no welding paints have been carried out. “
“According to initial information, the fire is of a domestic nature,” security forces told RIA Novosti.
No casualties have been reported. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
The Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine (SPRAVDI) shared photographs of the fire at X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
“Factories engaged in the production of integral parts of the Russian war device continued to have a complicated month, with one of Russia’s largest military electronics brands vanishing in Ekaterinberg,” SPRAVDI wrote.
Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister, described Plant X as “one of the largest enterprises in the Russia Federation in the field of development and production of electronic systems and equipment. “
Fires have been reported in buildings related to the Russian military throughout the war.
In June, a fire devastated a structure on the grounds of a company in Moscow that designs and manufactures some of Putin’s most complex military aircraft, Moscow newspaper MSK1 reported.
The publication quotes a witness who said that “the chimney stops” at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, whose headquarters are located in the Moscow region.
The Sukhoi Design Bureau is for many aircraft of the Russian army, adding the Su-25, Su-27, Su-28, Su-30 and the more complex Su-35 and Su-57.
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Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek journalist founded in Kuala Lumpur. It focuses on the war between Russia and Ukraine. Isabel joined Newsweek in 2021 and in the past had worked with media outlets such as Daily Express, The Times, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Grazia. She holds a Master’s degree in News Journalism from the City of London, University of London and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in Russian from Queen Mary, University of London. Languages: English, Russian
You can contact Isabel by emailing i. vanbrugen@newsweek. com or following her on X @isabelvanbrugen
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