Strange fire razes Russian arms depot

Russian regions bordering Ukraine have seen a string of unexplained fires at fuel and ammunition depots in recent days

An ammunition depot in a Russian region bordering Ukraine caught fire in the early hours on Wednesday, the latest in a string of apparent Ukrainian attacks on Moscow’s military infrastructure in recent days.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, wrote on his social media that he woke up at around 3.30am when he heard a blast. “There were three more blasts while I was writing this,” he said.

The village chief in Staraya Nelidovka said later on Wednesday morning that an ammunition depot in the area was on fire. No immediate casualties were reported.

The fire was extinguished a few hours later and no civilians were injured, Mr Gladkov said.

Officials in two other Russian regions bordering Ukraine also reported hearing explosions at night.

Roman Starovoit, governor of the Kursk region, cited preliminary information, alleging that the explosions came from Russian missile defence hitting incoming targets. No damage or casualties were reported.

In the Voronezh region, the local governor reported two explosions, saying Russian forces took out a combat drone.

The major fire comes amid an increasingly bold series of apparent attacks on Moscow’s military installations.

Belgorod, Voronezh and Kursk have all served as staging grounds for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The regions have a long and porous border with Ukraine and have hosted a large number of troops and weaponry.

Earlier this month, Russia accused Ukraine of firing at a fuel depot in the Belgorod region with helicopters. The fire raged for hours, sparking fears of fuel shortages in the area.

Another major fuel depot in a region bordering Belarus caught fire on Sunday, and a top-secret research institute known for developing Russia’s cutting-edge missile defence system was devastated by a deadly fire last week.