Shell causes explosion at ammonia nitrate warehouse in Kharkiv Oblast

Olena Roshchina – Monday, 16 May 2022, 15:28

Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, said that Russian troops had struck an ammonia nitrate warehouse in Kharkiv Oblast; there is no threat to the residents of the adjacent areas.

Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote from Kyrylenko: "The explosion in Kharkiv Oblast does not pose a threat to the local population. According to the most up-to-date information, this afternoon a Russian shell hit a warehouse in Kharkiv Region where, according to preliminary information, ammonia nitrate was stored.

Residents of the northern Donetsk region saw a huge column of smoke which might have seemed dangerous, but there is no reason to panic. Ammonia nitrate is not classified as a dangerous chemical substance, and it’s mostly concentrated in a cloud that reaches only 200-500m from the epicentre of the explosion.

This explosion does not constitute a danger. The towns and villages of Donetsk Oblast are outside the area affected by the cloud."

Details: Experts are determining the environmental damage the explosion has inflicted.

Kyrylenko insisted that "the situation is under control."