Alleged drone factory catches fire in Russia's Izhevsk
A large fire broke out overnight at an industrial enterprise in the city of Izhevsk in Russia's Udmurt Republic, the regional emergency service said on Feb. 17.
Russian media previously reported that a shopping mall located at this address had been turned into a drone factory.
A fire at the facility occurred at night and spread to an area of over 3,500 square meters, the Udmurt Republic emergency service said on Telegram. Firefighters reportedly managed to put out the fire in the morning, and there were no casualties.
The Russian authorities claimed that the enterprise was involved in the production of detergents and disinfectants. The emergency service did not specify why the fire had occurred.
According to the Russian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), citing a local media outlet, a shopping mall located at the address was handed over to the Izhevsk Unmanned Systems Research and Production company in September 2023.
The company planned to assemble Granat-4 drones in the building, the local outlet Udmurtia Against Corruption wrote.
The Kyiv Independent is unable to verify any of the claims above.
Fires and explosions at Russian military-industrial facilities have become a more frequent occurrence since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, sometimes reportedly caused by Ukrainian attacks or acts of sabotage.
Kyiv doesn't normally comment on such incidents on Russian soil. An explosion occurred in an industrial area of Biysk in Russia's Altai region, possibly at a military plant that produces ammunition, among other things, a local media outlet reported on Feb. 15, citing residents.
Oleg Sukhov
