A large fire reportedly broke out at a factory with ties to the Russian military on Wednesday, adding to a spate of mysterious blazes in Russia since Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.
Images on social media purported to show a raging fire at the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant in Sergiev Posad, Russia, about 47 miles north of the Kremlin. The facility produces “optical and optoelectronic devices for law enforcement agencies, industry and healthcare,” according to its website. The company is a known maker of precision optical equipment, such as night vision binoculars, used by the Russian military and is listed as an exhibitor at a military equipment expo organized by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The warehouse of the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant, where military optics are produced, was burning near Moscow. pic.twitter.com/gMc4k4zsH2
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Several buildings in Russia with ties to the Russian military have gone up in flames since the country’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
In April, at least five Russian military recruitment offices went up in flames, reportedly the result of arson attacks.
Also in April, a fire destroyed the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces’s Second Central Research Institute in the northwestern city of Tver, about 100 miles outside of Moscow. The facility was involved in the development of new anti-aircraft systems and Iskander missiles, according to reports.
On the same day, flames engulfed the Dmitrievsky Chemical Plant in Kineshma, about 150 miles east of Moscow, one of the largest chemical plants in the country.
In March, the Russian Ministry of Defense blamed “Ukrainian nationalists” for a fire at the Avdeyevsky Coke and Chemical Plant outside Donetsk, calling it an “act of sabotage.”
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Several fuel depots near the Ukrainian border have also suffered fires, with Russian officials accusing Ukraine of being responsible for at least one of the oil storage facility fires.
The Ukrainian government has not claimed responsibility for any of these fires.
