“Two sappers received injuries incompatible with life”: a series of explosions occurred in military depots in the Kharkov region

In Ukraine, two military sappers died as a result of explosions at a military warehouse in the Balakliya region, the Armed Forces General Staff said.

“According to updated information from the duty of the Central artillery ammunition supply base, unfortunately, two military sappers received injuries incompatible with life,” the agency said in a Facebook message.

From the information published by the Ukrainian General Staff, it follows that during the planned destruction of ammunition in warehouses in the Kharkov region, about 20 explosions thundered.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine specified that three victims are in serious condition in the hospital.

“Four of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as previously reported, are in medical facilities. According to the updated information of the doctors, three of the wounded are in serious condition, one of moderate severity, ”the ministry said in a statement.

According to the General Staff, in accordance with the established procedure, military personnel disposed of ammunition residues and their elements that are not transportable on the technical territory of the military unit.

The General Staff claims that the military acted with due regard for all security measures and in a specially equipped pit for this. To ensure the safety of the procedure, the fire department of the military unit was involved.

“Nothing threatens local residents and infrastructure,” the ministry said.

Note that the state emergency service in the Kharkov region of Ukraine received information about explosions at a military training ground. Rescuers drove to the scene of the incident, but later reported that they were not allowed into the military facility.

“At 14.35 (15.35 Moscow time) messages arrived, our units left for the place. This happened on the territory of the military unit, ours (rescuers - RT ) do not work there, they are not allowed to go there, "RIA Novosti reports the State Emergencies Service of Ukraine.

Incidents in Ukrainian military depots

In 2017-2018, a series of major incidents with fires and explosions occurred in the military depots of Ukraine. In some locations, an emergency occurred twice.

In March 2017, a fire broke out in a warehouse in the vicinity of Balakliya, followed by explosions. On a base of 378 hectares, more than 130 thousand shells were stored.

Ukrainian media reported that the evacuation required 36 thousand residents living in a ten-kilometer zone from the warehouse. It took two days to put out the fire. The authorities of the Kharkiv region estimated the damage from the Balakli incident at $ 11 million.

The next incident at a military warehouse occurred in October 2017 in Kalinovka, Vinnitsa region. According to a number of Ukrainian publications, during these explosions 32 thousand tons of shells worth $ 800 million were detonated. During the events in the Vinnitsa region, about 30 thousand local residents were evacuated.

In May 2018, a new incident with fire and explosions again occurred in Balakliya, and in October similar events began at a warehouse in the Chernihiv region. Subsequently, Ukrainian journalists came to the conclusion that in 1.5 years the country as a result of an emergency at military facilities lost about 40% of the ammunition available at that time.

According to media estimates, more than 200 tons of shells were destroyed by incidents in warehouses, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the years of conflict in the east of the country spent 70 tons of ammunition.

In October 2018, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin said that NATO forces will help with the security of Ukrainian storage facilities with shells. Klimkin said that NATO is ready to "give advice on the design" of future military storage facilities.

Shortly afterwards, adviser to the Minister of the Interior and Verkhovna Rada deputy Tatyana Chernovol called the series of explosions in warehouses “sabotage”.

“You know, we have such a disaster: our ammunition depots have recently exploded. You know, there are the same depots in the occupied territory from which they shoot at us, the same ones on the Russian border on the Russian side - those that shoot at us ... (It was not done. - RT ) no response to sabotage on Ukrainian warehouses, ”she said on the air of the direct channel.

In May 2019, Verkhovna Rada deputy Nadezhda Savchenko told reporters that the explosions in Ukrainian warehouses in 2017 were carried out by personal order of Petro Poroshenko, who held the post of head of state at that time. According to her, the president took this step to hide the theft in the army.

“It was time to report and verify the ammunition depots, their combat readiness ... There was such a plundered situation already, there was already control of our European partners, that is, they couldn’t fake it,” Savchenko said on the 112 Ukraine TV channel.