On March 23, a fire broke out on separate sites of an armament base, located in the city of Balakliia. According to Chief Military Prosecutor of Ukraine Anatolii Matios, the total area of the arsenal reaches 368 hectares. Some 138,000 tons of shells are stored there. It is the largest military warehouse of Ukraine.
According to eyewitnesses of the incident, a tool was dropped from the aircraft, which may have led to the explosion. Due to the incident, shells scatter for one or two kilometers, the media noted.
At the scene, an operational headquarters is opened, 300 rescuers and 55 vehicles, including fire trains, are involved. Nevertheless, at the moment, the fire could not be localized, its area increased.
According to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak, the cause of the fire at the ammunition depot became a diversion. He is sure that it is organized by either the Russian military or representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.
The DPR and LPR rejected these accusations. Moreover, they assumed that the Ukrainian military set up an arson themselves to conceal signs of a possible shortage of ammunition due to the arms trade.
As a result of the explosions, two people were injured. About 35 thousand citizens live in the area of emergency, 20 thousand of which were evacuated to nearby settlements. 16,317 people were evacuated from Balakliia. In the Kharkiv region, 6 evacuation points were opened, where people who have been left without shelter are assisted.
In the region, electricity and gas are temporarily turned off, railway traffic is suspended.
Two criminal cases have been opened: of sabotage and negligence. Law enforcement agencies are conducting investigation. After the emergency, Ukraine also asked international organizations for help.
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