Substitute while the actions of the article are loading
Unexplained fires in strategic locations in Russia, including a sensitive defense research site and the country’s largest chemical plant, have raised suspicions of some kind of sabotage, although there is no evidence that most were not accidental.
The latest fire in two oil depots in the Russian city of Biransk near the Ukrainian border was caused by explosions on Monday, Russian media reported. The loss of the site could disrupt vital oil supplies on the northeastern front of the war in Ukraine, where Russian troops are pushing for an attempt to seize territory in the Donbass region.
Footage shared on social media of one of the blasts suggests it was caused by an “air or missile strike,” according to a tweet from Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies. The landfills are less than 100 miles from Ukraine, within range of that country’s tactical ballistic missiles, Lee said.
Alexei Arestovich, a military adviser to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, declined to comment. “The Russian Federation is responsible for what is happening on Russian territory,” he said. “They have to give the reasons for what is happening, not us.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was still investigating the causes of the fires.
This month, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out a helicopter attack on an oil depot in Belgorod, less than 20 miles from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine has not commented on whether it is responsible.
But if Ukraine was behind the attacks on Russian soil, it would be a major escalation of the war. It would also be a serious embarrassment for Russia, noting how the country, which invaded two months ago with the expectation of a quick victory, has managed to retaliate deep into its territory.
At least two other fires, well beyond the reach of Ukrainian missiles, cannot be easily explained.
Last Thursday, a fire tore apart the upper floors of the Second Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense in the city of Tver, northwest of Moscow; At least 17 people have died, according to Russia’s Tass news agency. More than two dozen people were injured, the news agency reported, including some who jumped for their lives from the upper floors of the building.
The institute is known as a center for highly sensitive research on key missile systems, including state-of-the-art Russian stealth programs, as well as the Iskander missile, widely used in Ukraine, and the S-400 air defense system.
Tass said initial investigations showed the fire was caused by an electrical fault, but a criminal investigation has been launched.
Hours later, Russia’s largest chemical plant also burned down for unknown reasons. The Dmitrievsky Chemical Plant, located about 208 miles northeast of Moscow in Kineshma, was a major supplier of fuel needed to produce the precision-guided missiles Russia needs for the war.
A third fire then engulfed a sensitive facility at the College of Aerospace Engineering in the Moscow suburb of Korolev, known as the home of Soviet and Russian space programs.
The fact that so many fires have broken out in key locations in such a short period of time is “quite suspicious,” said Dmitry Alperovich, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator think tank in Washington. However, he added, “at this stage it is really impossible to say.”
There are explanations other than sabotage, Alperovic said. Accidental fires are not uncommon in Russia, which has a reputation for poor maintenance, and Western sanctions make it difficult to provide spare parts for vital machinery.
Arestovich suspects Ukraine is involved in fires at defense facilities and suggests that Russian officials are setting fires to cover up evidence of corruption.
“I think you need to look for reasons inside Russia – for example, to hide the means by which the money was stolen from the Russian Ministry of Defense,” he said.
David Stern of Ukraine and Catherine Belton of London contributed to this report.
Add Comment