An ammunition depot located near the town of Timonovo in the Belgrade region caught fire after intense explosions. Less than 50 kilometers from the Ukraine-Russia border, two cities were evacuated. Russian authorities said they were investigating the cause of the explosion. Ukrainian authorities did not comment on the incident
A Russian ammunition depot and military facility exploded near the Ukrainian border, prompting the evacuation of two Russian villages. The ammunition depot, located near the town of Timonovo in the Belgorod region of western Russia, caught fire in the evening (Thursday) and sent huge flames and a trail of smoke into the sky.
Videos circulating on social media showed an ominous orange glow on the horizon as a huge inferno continued to rage over the remains of the military base. The fire comes several days after explosions at a Russian air base in Crimea – the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow. Russia called the attack an act of “sabotage” by Kyiv.
“An ammunition depot caught fire near the village of Timonovo,” less than 30 miles from the Ukrainian border in the Belgorod region,” regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement. No injuries were reported, but residents of Timonovo and the nearby village of Soluti were “moved to a safe distance,” he said. He added that the authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
It is unclear if a Ukrainian attack was the cause of the explosions. Ukrainian authorities have not yet responded. Thursday’s fire came amid a spate of explosions at Russian military facilities near Ukraine.
Earlier this month, a bomb exploded near the Saki military airport in Crimea, killing one person and injuring several others. A few days later, explosions erupted in an ammunition depot in Crimea. In the second case, Moscow unusually admitted that it was an act of ‘sabotage’.