A mysterious explosion reported by locals less than 100 miles from the Russian capital has the Kremlin searching for answers.
The explosion occurred in Kolomna near Moscow on Thursday evening, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing the city administration. Its cause is still unknown. Footage shared on social media shows eyewitnesses describing the blast as being preceded by a loud whistle and followed by smoke and a glow. Emergency services later said they found no signs of an explosion.
It came days after Russia’s Baza news agency reported that there had been a “massive drone attack on Russia” with unidentified objects or drones sighted in at least five regions over a 24-hour period.
On Tuesday, Russia temporarily closed airspace over St. Petersburg after unconfirmed reports said an unidentified object, possibly a drone, had been sighted over the city.
“The explosion occurred in mid-air. There is a high probability that it was a drone,” the state news agency Tass said on Friday about the explosion in Kolomna, citing a spokesman for local law enforcement agencies. “But you can’t be sure, because no fragments have been found yet,”
The Ministry of Energy of the Moscow Region said that the city’s gas and electricity supply facilities are functioning normally and no abnormalities have been detected.
news week was unable to verify these reports immediately.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian military released a statement saying there is an ammunition depot south of Kolomna and a strategic military communications facility southeast of the city.
“The Center for Unmanned Aviation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is located in Kolomna. This center is responsible for the use of UAVs in law enforcement agencies and civilian departments, training of specialists for UAV units, as well as military drone testing,” it said.
Two days earlier, a drone crashed near a gas distribution station of state-controlled energy giant Gazprom near the village of Gubastovo in the Moscow Region, Russian media reported.
Ukraine this week denied responsibility for drone strikes on Russian territory.
“Ukraine does not strike the territory of the Russian Federation. Ukraine is waging a defensive war to occupy all its territories,” tweeted Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to Ukraine’s president, on Wednesday.
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