The police are investigating as an act of terrorism the explosion and subsequent fire that occurred last week at the Tambov powder factory in the southeast of Russia, more than 700 km from the border with Ukraine, reports the Russian publication Kommersant, citing Meduza.

At the plant, located in the city of Kotovsk, Tambov region, an explosion and subsequent fire destroyed the building on an area of ​​more than 300 square meters.

According to the Russian authorities, the workers of the plant were injured.

As Kommersant’s sources reported, inside the destroyed building, investigators found and recovered fragments of a drone that allegedly attacked the plant.

According to sources cited by the economic newspaper, the unmanned aerial vehicle could crash into the roof of the building.

The case, opened after the explosion, is in the war crimes investigation department of the Investigative Committee of Russia.

The plant is more than 700 kilometers from the border with Ukraine

According to Kommersant, it is this unit that investigates all significant crimes committed with the help of drones and missiles on the territory of Russia.

It is more than 700 kilometers from the Tambov region to the border with Ukraine, which the Russian authorities accuse of drone attacks.

In September 2023, Kyiv admitted for the first time that it had carried out an attack from Russian territory, where, in addition to armed incursions, there were not only numerous drone strikes, but also alleged sabotage.

The Tambov Regional Gunpowder Plant is one of the largest producers of gunpowder for small arms and artillery ammunition in Russia.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the company increased production by 34 percent, reports the Kommersant business newspaper.

The second case in six months

Last week, the second explosion occurred at the Kotovsky powder factory in six months. In June, there was an explosion and then a fire at the same plant. Five people died, several more were injured. According to the authorities, the cause of the incident was human error.

In 2015-2016, there were other explosions at the plant. A total of seven people died then.

To meet the needs of the army in the war in Ukraine, Russian factories for the production of weapons and ammunition are working at maximum capacity. In these factories, accidents often occur due to the neglect of safety rules and the aging of some of the equipment.

In April, a projectile exploded at a gunpowder plant in Kazan, and a worker lost an arm. Another similar accident occurred in February at the Chapaev Mechanical Plant in the Samara region, where detonators and explosives are produced. One person died, three were injured.