A mysterious fire has broken out at a Russian chemical plant today, amid mounting suspicion Ukraine is targeting infrastructure in Russia.
The blaze engulfed a plant making plastic in Berdsk, in the central Novosibirsk region, one of a series of suspected incidents of sabotage within Russia over the past few weeks.
Video showed thick black smoke rising up from burning building, with the fire ripping through the chemical plant’s roof.
The blaze appears to have destroyed production facilities, offices and a canteen. There were no reports of fatalities.
It is the latest in a series of infernos at industrial facilities and military sites in Russia since Vladimir Putin’s men invaded Ukraine, with some experts saying Ukraine is responsible for the ‘sabotage’ of plants – though Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the damage.
Over a dozen fires in Russia have been reported since the war in Ukraine broke out, with the amount of incidents increasing over the past few weeks as Moscow enters its 12th week of the war.
In the latest blaze in Berdsk, almost 50 firefighters were working at the scene with some 22,000 square feet destroyed.
The fire began on polyethylene products on the building’s first floor, according to some reports.
Another fire on 4 May was at a railway tanker containing unspecified solvents on the territory of huge factory Kaprolaktam, in Dzerzhinsk, which once made chemical weapons.
