Moscow explains blast at 51st arsenal, remains silent on casualties

The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed the explosion at the 51st arsenal and announced its cause as an alleged safety protocol violation.

This was reported by ASTRA with reference to the ministry’s official statement.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the explosion occurred as a result of a fire caused by non-compliance with safety rules at the facility.

The explosion occurred on the territory of the 51st Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (military base 11785) on April 22, near the village of Barsovo in the Vladimir region, approximately 530 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. 

Local authorities announced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents from potentially dangerous areas due to the risk of ammunition dispersal and secondary explosions.

It is known that at least two munitions hit civilian objects: one in the Krasny Oktyabr neighborhood of the city of Kirzhach, and the other in a country house in Vyazma.

Explosions have also been reported in fields and roads in the surrounding areas.

There is no information about casualties among the arsenal personnel, but at least two civilian injuries have been confirmed.

51st arsenal

The images published online show that the range of ammunition stored in the 51st arsenal’s storage facilities included medium-caliber artillery shells and missiles for anti-aircraft systems.

In particular, some of the footage shows a storage facility with transport and launch containers for 9M83 missiles intended for the S-300V anti-aircraft system, as well as stacks of boxes with 30mm high-explosive fragmentation shells.

The arsenal also had a specialized laboratory that monitored the technical condition of powders and explosives in ammunition, as well as workshops with testing equipment designed to test high-tech weapons.

For example, one of the published photos shows the process of testing 9M33 missiles, which are part of the Osa anti-aircraft missile system.

In addition, like other large bases of the Russian Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, the 51st arsenal has traditionally stored significant amounts of ammunition for large-caliber artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and small arms ammunition.