On February 7, 2024, social media posts highlighted an explosion at a russian missile factory close to Izhevsk, Udmurtia, in central russia. This factory is used to produce a range of ballistic missiles including the Iskander missiles, which is regularly used against Ukraine. Initial reports suggested the explosion was due to worker error, although later the russian state TASS news agency reported it was due to “planned tests” of rocket engines. It is unlikely that Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were involved in the explosion given the 1,200 km distance from Ukraine. Furthermore, no such attacks were reported in the area, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
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This is at least the fifth unexplained military industrial factory explosion in four months. Previous explosions include the Kamensky chemical plant in Rostov on January 15, 2024; the Chelyabinsk tank factory on November 26, 2023 and gunpowder and ammunition factories in Kotovsk on November 10, 2023 and Solikamsk on October 31, 2023.
There is a realistic possibility that the explosion is due to negligent handling and storing of highly volatile, combustible and explosive materials. Additionally, senior political pressure to increase military industrial output targets to support the war in Ukraine has likely led to round the clock production and staff fatigue. Increased demands on production will highly likely result in greater numbers of industrial accidents in the future.
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