Russia saw record number of explosions in 2022 with 11,000 citizens injured

A total of 83 explosions occurred in Russia in 2022, the largest yearly number of explosions in the last 10 years; a record number of people were injured in these explosions. Journalists link these explosions with the war in Ukraine.

Source: Verstka, a Russian media outlet, citing a Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation report

Details: According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, in 2022 Russia saw 83 explosions, which killed 55 people and injured another 10,647.

Explosions occurred in residential buildings, storage facilities, and mines. The Crimea Bridge explosion was also included in the count.

Quote from Verstka: "The most common cause of explosions in 2022 was an explosive device [bomb, rocket, mine, grenade - ed.]. Explosions caused by explosive devices accounted for 55 out of 83 cases. The increase in the number of explosions in 2022 is therefore directly related to hostilities [in Ukraine]."

Details: Verstka reported that the yearly number of explosions in Russia has not exceeded 20 in the past 10 years despite terrorist attacks and gas leaks in residential buildings. The number of casualties was in the hundreds rather than thousands.

The highest number of casualties before 2022 was seen in 2017 when a terrorist attack in the St Petersburg subway took place and a gas leak caused a nine-story building in Izhevsk to explode.

Konstantin Kuznetsov, an expert at the Fire Safety Foundation, a research and development firm, said that the ministry’s statistics also include explosions that occurred as a result of fires. He noted that if a man-made fire at a plant caused an explosion, this would be included in the statistics. The same applies to car fires and explosions they cause.

Kuznetsov emphasised that the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations includes all incidents in its records regardless of their cause, except for cases that constitute a state secret.

Background:

• On 9 August, an explosion thundered at the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant in Sergiev Posad, Moscow Oblast. A strong blast wave smashed windows in nearby buildings. As a result of the explosion, 43 people were injured, four buildings were completely destroyed, and another 20 were damaged.
• Russian media outlet Agentstvo reported that the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant participated in the development of a next-generation stealth bomber.
• Russian media has reported that after the explosion at a military plant near Moscow, eight people are considered missing, while Russian Telegram channels have reported that 10 bodies were found under the rubble.

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