A major
explosion has occurred on the grounds of Votkinsk Machine Building Plant
near Russia’s Izhevsk, Udmurtia, as seen in video footage widely shared by
local social media accounts on Feb. 7.
According to independent Russian newspaper The Moscow Times, the Votkinsk factory manufactures Topol-M ICBMs and Iskander ballistic missiles.
"In Izhevsk, something epic is exploding near the Votkinsk military factory’s testing range, which produces rocket engines," Ukrainian journalist Denis Kazansky wrote on Telegram.
Russia’s pro-Kremlin Telegram news channel Baza suggested that the explosion on the outskirts of Izhevsk might have been caused by supposed “technical testing” at the factory.
Later, Russian emergency services explained the explosion as "rocket engines being tested as planned" at the facility.