UK intelligence anticipates more accidents at Russian plants
UK Defence Intelligence has analysed the recent explosions at Russian industrial facilities.
Source: UK Defence Intelligence review dated 9 February on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The UK MoD noted that stricter production requirements due to political pressure from the Kremlin to increase defence production to meet the demands of the war in Ukraine are likely to lead to more industrial accidents in Russia in the future.
Analysts have pointed to recent reports of an explosion at a military plant near Izhevsk in central Russia, which is used to produce a range of ballistic missiles, including the Iskander, which have been frequently deployed against Ukraine.
"Initial reports suggested the explosion was due to worker error, although later the Russian state TASS news agency reported it was due to 'planned tests' of rocket engines," the review stated.
It is unlikely, UK Defence Intelligence stressed, that Ukrainian drones were involved in the incident, given the distance of 1,200 kilometres from Ukrainian territory. Moreover, the UK MoD added that there have been no reports of similar attacks in the area.
Analysts say there is a real possibility that the explosion at the Izhevsk plant occurred due to negligent handling and storage of flammable, combustible and explosive materials.
"This is at least the fifth unexplained military industrial factory explosion in four months. Previous explosions include the Kamensky chemical plant in Rostov on 15 January 2024; the Chelyabinsk tank factory on 26 November 2023 and gunpowder and ammunition factories in Kotovsk on 10 November 2023 and Solikamsk on 31 October 2023," the UK MoD added.
Background:
- On 7 February, an intense explosion reportedly occurred in the Udmurt Republic in Russia at a plant that produces ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons components.
- On 8 February, the UK MoD reported that Avdiivka was still the core focus of Russian operations in Ukraine and that the Russian army would continue its offensive in the area in the coming weeks.
- A previous UK Defence Intelligence review on 7 February noted that the Russian regime believes it has managed to eliminate any potential threats from the Wagner Private Military Company.
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