Ammo depot near Russia’s Belgorod explodes
Explosion visible in Belgorod (Photo: Exilenova + / Telegram)
A powerful explosion was reported in Russia’s Belgorod
Oblast, sending a mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke into the sky that was
visible across Belgorod City, local media outlets said on June 8.
RFE/RL, citing local social media pages, reported large
columns of black smoke rising from different parts of a forested area near the
settlement of Novosadovy and the village of Belovskoye, where ammunition depots
are located. Online footage shows at least four separate plumes of thick black
smoke over the Belgorod district.
Local officials, including the regional governor, have not
commented on the cause or extent of damage to military infrastructure.
Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and some Russian war correspondents have advanced a version that the detonations resulted from routine safety violations during ammunition handling.
Ukrainian OSINT (open-source intelligence) channel Exilenova said there is currently no confirmed evidence of missile or drone strikes. Exilenova noted that the absence of footage showing the immediate moment of the blast at the site suggests the epicenter was in an area inaccessible to outsiders.
Analysts say the explosion likely occurred in the so-called
Belovsky Forest, which was a civilian park zone until 2023 but, they assert,
has since been turned into a restricted military area with concealed
infrastructure.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
