Blasts erupt at Russian ammo depot in eastern Siberia
Photo: Explosions rock ammunition depot in Russia's Zabaykalsky Krai (video screenshot)
A series of powerful explosions erupted this morning, June 25, at a weapons depot in Russia's Zabaykalsky Krai, informs Chita.Ru.
According to official sources, the preliminary cause of the fire was allegedly a landscape fire — dry grass caught fire, and unexploded ordnance began to detonate in the field. Eyewitnesses reported at least 50 explosions.
The area around the military facility in Bolshaya Tura has been cordoned off. Military helicopters (Mi-8s) were deployed to extinguish the blaze, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations is preparing firefighting aircraft — an IL-76 and a Be-200.
Notably, this same depot caught fire in 2014 due to a forest fire. That incident led to explosions that killed 10 people and forced the evacuation of an entire village. Several houses and a school were damaged.
Explosions at Russian artillery depots
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, explosions at Russian military storage sites have become significantly more frequent. On April 22, one of the largest ammunition depots of the Russian army — located less than 100 km from Moscow — detonated.
Explosions broke out at a military base in the Vladimir region, sparking a fire and prompting evacuations in nearby settlements. Russia's Defense Ministry attributed the blasts in Barsovo to "violations of safety protocols."
According to Defense Express, damage to the 51st GRAU arsenal could be considered one of the most severe incidents, as the facility is heavily guarded by Russian air defense systems due to its proximity to Moscow, a region with the most concentrated air defense coverage in the country.
