Video Shows Huge Explosions at Russian Tractor Plant Used to Repair Tanks

Russian T-90M and T-14 Armata tanks parade through Red Square during the general rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 7, 2022. Early on Monday, a fire erupted at a facility central to the production of Russia’s most advanced armored vehicle.

Footage has emerged showing what appears to be a significant fire at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant in central Russia, a facility under U.S. sanctions for its role in building, repairing and upgrading Russian main battle tanks, armored fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery systems.

Video from the plant, east of the Ural Mountains in central Russia and close to the border with Kazakhstan, purportedly shot on Sunday night, showed a large fireball erupting from fire and smoke over the facility.

The extent of any damage done to the strategic facility is not yet clear, nor is the cause of the fire. Newsweek was unable to independently verify the footage and has contacted the Russian emergencies ministry by email to request comment.

Russian military-industrial sites have regularly been among those damaged by fires and explosions since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Some of the incidents have been attributed to Ukrainian special forces operations and others to domestic dissidents, while most remain unexplained.

The Moscow Times cited Russian television channel 112 as reporting that the fire was caused by a short circuit. Six fire engines and two ambulances were dispatched to the scene, The Moscow Times said, and there was no information about casualties.

Russia’s emergencies ministry said that the fire was under control as of Monday morning, while nearby residents reported interruptions to the local water and electricity supply.

The Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant is a sensitive site. The facility is owned by the Uralvagonzavod military-industrial concern, which is considered the largest main battle tank producer in the world and employs some 30,000 people.

Russian T-72 and T-90 tanks—Moscow’s most advanced main battle tank systems, which have formed the backbone of its armored effort in Ukraine—are both made at the plant. So too are the engines for the BMPT Terminator infantry fighting vehicle and MSTA-S self-propelled artillery platforms.

The Chelyabinsk facility was among those put under international sanctions following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In May 2022, the White House reported that “Russia’s two major tank plant—Uralvagonzavod Corporation and Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant—have halted work due to lack of foreign components.”

The U.S. imposed fresh sanctions on the facility this year, with the State Department noting it “manufactures engines and weapons for heavy armored vehicles.” Chelyabinsk has also been put under Ukrainian sanctions measures for its role “in performing tasks in the interests of the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation.”

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