Russian authorities have denied an emergency in Russia's Udmurt Republic, as videos show a huge fireball over a weapons plant that produces nuclear weapons components and ballistic missiles.
A massive explosion was reported on Wednesday on the grounds of the Votkinsk weapons factory, which produces weapons including the RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and strategic ballistic missiles for the Topol-M and Iskander systems. The factory is located some 30 miles from the capital of the Udmurt Republic, Izhevsk.
Videos filmed by residents showed a huge fireball over the area and a massive glow in the sky. Locals reported hearing explosions before the fire. It's unclear if there were any casualties.
"The head of the Udmurt Republic, commenting on the explosions near Izhevsk, said that there were no emergency situations on the territory of the republic," the Russian Telegram channel bbbreaking reported.
Russian state-run news agency Tass said a local emergency services agency announced that the blast was caused by "a scheduled test of rocket engines," calling it "a planned event, not an emergency."
The U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) noted that there was no mention of a scheduled test on the website of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, where such notices are typically posted.
Independent Russian news outlet Mediazona reported that at about 11 p.m. local time, the official Telegram channel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for Russia's Udmurtia Republic wrote: "The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia does not confirm a powerful explosion on the territory of the Votkinsk plant near Izhevsk."
This message was deleted a few minutes later, and a half-hour later, the ministry published another post, which said: "No emergency or abnormal situations have been registered on the territory of the Udmurt Republic, no socially significant incidents have occurred."
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the weapons plant "is in the EU sanctions list as it produces missiles and ammunition for Iskander and Tochka-U complexes."
Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility for the incident, in line with its policy of not commenting on attacks on Russian soil.
Drone attacks in Russia have ramped up in recent weeks, with the majority of targets including oil hubs and refineries.
Last month, a suspected drone strike caused a huge blaze at a large export-oriented Rosneft-owned oil refinery in the southern Russian town of Tuapse on the Black Sea coast.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
