British intelligence suggests that Ukraine was not involved in the explosion at the Russian missile plant in Izhevsk. Analysts emphasize that explosions at Russian plants are caused by political pressure from the top leadership to increase production of the military industry, and there may be more such explosions in the future.
This is stated in a new report by the British Ministry of Defense based on intelligence, UNN reports.
Details
As noted in the report, on February 7, social media covered an explosion at a Russian missile plant used to produce a number of ballistic missiles, including the Iskander, which is regularly used against Ukraine, near Izhevsk in the Udmurtia Republic, in central Russia.
Initial reports suggested that the explosion was caused by human error, but later the Russian state news agency TASS reported that it was due to "routine testing" of rocket engines. It is unlikely that Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were involved in the explosion, given the distance from Ukraine of 1,200 kilometers
Analysts say this is the 5th unexplained explosion at a military industrial plant in the last four months. The previous explosions occurred on January 15 at the Kamensky Chemical Plant in Rostov, on November 26 at the Chelyabinsk Tank Plant, and two more explosions in October and November at a burial ground and an ammunition plant in Kotovsk and Solikamsk.
There is a realistic possibility that the explosion was caused by negligent handling and storage of volatile, flammable and explosive materials. In addition, political pressure from the top leadership to increase the production of the military industry to support the war in Ukraine likely led to round-the-clock production and staff fatigue. Increased production demands are likely to lead to an increase in the number of workplace accidents in the future
Recall
An explosion has occurred in the Russian republic of Udmurtia near the village of Yagul. Eyewitnesses report that the explosion occurred at the test site and is likely related to rocket engine testing.