Fire sweeps through the Russian defense ministry as Putin held talks with Belarusian Lukashenko
Fire rips through Russian Defense Ministry near Kremlin – as Putin held talks with Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko
- Smoke gushed from the windows on the third floor of the Department of Defense building
- The fire started when Putin held talks with Belarusian despot Alexander Lukashenko
A fire swept through the Russian Ministry of Defense tonight, a short distance from the Kremlin.
The fire broke out when Vladimir Putin was talking to Belarusian despot Alexander Lukashenko.
Dark smoke billowed from the windows on the third floor of the Ministry of Defense headquarters at 19 Znamenka Street. Images shared by state media on social media showed a plume of smoke. About 50 people were evacuated as flames swept through the headquarters.
Emergency services arrived on scene and the small fire was extinguished shortly after it started. There were no casualties, reports the Russian news agency TASS.
Smoke gushed from the windows on the third floor of a Ministry of Defense building at 19 Znamenka Street in Moscow
A major fire has broken out in the building of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the center of Moscow. Emergency services were dispatched Wednesday evening
The fire started as Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Belarusian despot Alexander Lukashenko today
“At around 7:30 pm (4:30 GMT), employees on duty at one of the administrative buildings of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow discovered smoke on the property,” the defense ministry was quoted as saying in a statement.
“The fire service and the Ministry of Emergency Situations arrived on the scene,” the statement said.
The fire covered an area of 60 square meters, TASS said.
Russia’s Emergency Ministry said: “An intense fire is observed from a window on the third floor.”
The Defense Department said it is currently determining the cause of the inferno.
The fire was in a building known as Apraksin House, which has housed the administrative services of the Russian Defense Ministry since 1987. It is close to the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense. The location is several hundred meters from the Kremlin.
Some reports said the section on fire was a military-owned division dealing with facilities across the country.
The fire in the Ministry of Defense building covered an area of 60 square meters, TASS said.
Images shared on social media by the state media showed dark smoke rising from the government building
Emergency services arrived and the small fire was extinguished shortly after it started with no casualties
People gathered Wednesday evening as emergency services responded to the fire at the Defense Ministry building in Moscow
Emergency services came to the rescue of a major fire that broke out at the Russian Defense Ministry building in central Moscow, a short distance from the Kremlin, on Wednesday night
Putin held talks with Lukashenko – an ally in his war with Ukraine – in the Kremlin, where smoke could be seen.
The ministry is headed by Putin’s close ally, Sergei Shoigu, and is responsible for Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Russia has been ravaged by a wave of fires in recent months.
Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, told Forbes last month that Russia saw many unusual explosions and fires.
“Much of this is no coincidence,” he said, admitting that Ukraine paid Russian saboteurs. Something is constantly on fire [in Russia].
‘Signal equipment on the track, which burns several times a day, traffic is at a standstill on various highways for two to three hours, sometimes five to six hours.’
He admitted that Kiev is behind some sabotage attacks.
“Obviously it doesn’t just happen…. I would put it this way: money works wonders.’