BY THOMAS
KIKA ON
4/30/23 AT 3:17 PM EDT
Afire broke out Saturday on the property of a sanctioned Russian
factory that is the country's sole manufacturer of multiple-launch rocket
systems (MLRS).
The incident was first reported
by Kommersant,
an oligarch-owned Russian newspaper, which cited a statement from the Kremlin's
Ministry of Emergency Situations. The fire broke out on the grounds of the PJSC
Motovilikha Plants in the central Russian city of Perm at around 8 p.m. local
time, reportedly stemming from a transformer booth. A team was dispatched,
according to the ministry, to handle the blaze, which had reportedly reached a
size of 10 square meters.
"Today, a fire broke out at
the transformer substation on the territory of the enterprise," the
factory's press office said in a statement to Pravda. "The fire was
promptly contained by the specialists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations
who went to the spot."
Numerous photos and videos have
also begun circulating online showing the fire, including a brief clip posted
to VK Video, in which the fire and a massive plume of smoke can be seen from
close by. The plume can also be seen at a much greater distance in a series of
photos and videos shared to Twitter by the Perm 36.6 independent news project.
⚡️ Мотовилихинский завод горит
— Пермь 36,6. ПРОТИВ ВОЙНЫ (@perm36_6) April 29, 2023
Об этом сообщают наши подписчики. Если вам что-то известно, напишите нам в бот. pic.twitter.com/eFOwEqDPd1
"На территории предприятия произошло возгорание на трансформаторной подстанции. Специалистами МЧС, выехавшими на место, возгорание оперативно локализовано", — сообщают на Мотовилихинский хаводах pic.twitter.com/djYJtYMoPV
— Пермь 36,6. ПРОТИВ ВОЙНЫ (@perm36_6) April 29, 2023
A video of the fire was also shared to Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs.
A fire in Perm, Russia - at PJSC Motovilikha Plants which produce artillery systems and MLRS… pic.twitter.com/GvkA6h9M8m
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 29, 2023
The PJSC Motovilikha Plants is notable, according to Kommersant, in that it is the only factory in Russia that manufactures MLRSs, common fixtures on the modern battlefield that are capable of launching rapid volleys of missiles over long distances.
Last December, the plant was
sanctioned by the European Union (EU) for providing these systems to the Russian armed
forces during its brutal ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Kommersant also
reported that the factory has been in bankruptcy proceedings since 2018.
Newsweek reached
out to Russian officials via email for comment.
Perm is situated close to the
center of Russia, roughly 1,500 kilometers east of Moscow. As such, it is
unclear how likely it is that the fire was potentially caused by Ukrainian
forces. Numerous strikes, both accidental and allegedly intentional, have been
reported within Russia's borders since
the start of the invasion that the Kremlin has blamed on Ukraine. However,
these incidents have happened much closer to the border between
the warring nations.
In a statement to Newsweek on
Sunday, European defense expert Rajan Menon with the Defense Priorities
think-tank, said that the attack fit a pattern of suspicious incidents at
Russian military-affiliated facilities, but that evidence did not exist to
suggest Ukraine was responsible this time around.
"This is but one of the mysterious fires that have occurred
over the past several weeks in Russia," Menon wrote. "The fire in
Perm was followed by the most recent episode, which occurred at an industrial
site in the Kystovsky district of Nizhni Novgorod. There has inevitably been
speculation about whether these fires are the result of Ukrainian covert
operations (especially because some fires have occurred at military production
facilities) or the work of resistance groups withIn Russia. I know of no hard
evidence that points to, or rules out, either."
Updated,
04/30/2023, 6:03 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from
Rajan Menon.
https://www.newsweek.com/russian-mlrs-weapons-factory-bursts-flames-reports-1797569
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