Russian Rocket Kills Two In Ukraine As Deadly Blast Hits Russia
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/KYIV (Worthy News) – A Russian rocket attack near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine killed two people, while inside Russia, one person died in a blast at a factory providing optical equipment to Russia’s security forces, authorities said.
The two people who died in Ukraine were victims of a Russian strike in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, near the nuclear power plant, according to Ukrainian officials who added that at least seven others were injured.
The city lies about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, occupied by Russian forces after they invaded Ukraine last year.
Shelling in the plant’s surroundings has raised fears of a nuclear accident. Moscow has denied deliberately hitting civilian targets.
Inside Russia, an explosion on the grounds of a factory that makes optical equipment for Russia’s security forces north of Moscow killed one person, wounded 60 others, and left at least eight people unaccounted for, officials said.
Russian officials did not provide a suspected cause of the explosion in the city of Sergiev Posad. But the tall plume of black smoke added to concerns over recent nighttime drone attacks on Moscow.
Earlier, officials said Russian air defenses shot down two drones aimed at the capital overnight, and they accused Ukraine of an attempted attack.
SHAKING WAREHOUSE
The blast occurred at a warehouse storing fireworks but was on the grounds of the Zagorsk optics manufacturing plant, said Andrei Vorobyov, the region governor.
The explosion damaged 38 apartment buildings and prompted an evacuation of nearby areas, he added. The governor claimed the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant “has had nothing to do with optics or mechanics for a long time.”
Yet the firm’s website says it still produces those products, as well as medical equipment. A 1995 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce described the factory as “a producer of precision optical equipment for the military.”
Russian investigative journalists said data from recent years showed the plant supplied binoculars and dosimeters to Russia’s National Guard. The factory reportedly also produced equipment for military aircraft and was involved in developing a new fighter bomber.
Russia’s investigative committee said it had launched an inquiry into a “violation of industrial safety requirements for hazardous production facilities.” That indicated it believed the explosion had been the result of an accident.
Vorobyov said investigators had not yet confirmed what had caused the blast but added that there was no evidence a drone had hit the workshop.
Kyiv has warned Moscow, however, that it will the war to Russia despite concerns about a mounting death toll in Europe’s most significant armed conflict since World War Two.
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