Moscow Chemical Storage Evacuated After 'Blast' Reported, White Smoke Seen

Russian authorities are evacuating a battery storage facility and nearby buildings in the Moscow region after a reported blast.

A fire broke out on Thursday in a workshop for the production of oxygen batteries in the town of Voskresensk in the Moscow region, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations was quoted as saying by state-run news agency Tass.

Tass added that the area of the fire has grown to 400 square meters (480 square yards), the factory's roof has collapsed and there are no reported casualties. A firefighting train, 86 people, and 24 pieces of equipment are involved in battling the blaze.

Earlier, the ministry reported that a workshop for the production of oxygen batteries was on fire and that the area of the blaze was at 200 square meters.

The cause of the fire remains unclear. Photos and videos published on social media show plumes of white smoke rising into the air. Footage posted by Russian Telegram channel Baza showed a thick cloud of milky smoke rising into the sky from behind treetops.

"All the circumstances and causes of the incident will be established, an assessment will be made of the fulfilment of the requirements of federal legislation, including on fire safety, and prosecutorial response measures will be taken," the ministry said.

Alexei Malkin, head of Voskresensk, said on his Telegram channel that the fire could have started as a result of a violation of fire safety regulations.

Earlier, Telegram channel SHOT reported that the fire was preceded by an explosion.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign and defense ministries for comment via email.

The incident comes after a number of recent drone attacks on Russia's capital, for which Kyiv hasn't claimed responsibility, in line with its policy of distancing itself from strikes on Russian soil.

A drone attack on Moscow on May 30 marked the first time the capital was hit in a large-scale drone strike since the war began in February 2022.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the national security and defense council of Ukraine, said on Thursday that Kyiv has the right to strike on Russian territory with weapons of its own production.

Earlier, Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence, told the Kyiv Post that recent drone attacks on Moscow prove that Russian President Vladimir Putin can't control the sky.

Strikes on the key facilities of Russia's security sector in Moscow in July "testify to the fact that the Putin regime is unable to fully control the sky even for the protection of the most important facilities."

"Obviously, this situation will continue and increase in scale," Yusov added.

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Update 8/3/2023, 10:51 a.m. EDT: This article was updated with later information.