Russian mystery fires


A series of unusual fires and explosions have occurred in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which have not been formally explained. There have been many notable arson attacks on military recruitment offices in Russia since the beginning of the war, and there has been speculation that some of the fires or explosions have been the result of sabotage efforts by Russian partisans or Ukrainian saboteurs.

Overview

A "yellow" terrorist threat level was introduced in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, as well as some districts of Voronezh Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, and northern Crimea. Starting from the end of March, a series of incidents and explosions were reported in border regions of Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, and Voronezh Oblasts. Russian officials reported mortar shelling, drone attacks, and helicopter gunship attacks allegedly coming "from the Ukrainian side".
The Ukrainian side refused to confirm or deny involvement in incidents at strategic locations. There were allegations that some of the fires or explosions were the result of Ukrainian sabotage.
In May, a series of incidents on railway lines in Russia impeded the deployment of troops and military equipment to Ukraine; responsibility for these incidents was claimed by the Internet movement "Stop the Wagons".

List of reported fires

2022

LocationDateFacilityDeathsCoordinates
Kstovo22 March 2022Oil depot
Belgorod1 April 2022Oil depot1
Belgorod region12 April 2022Railway bridge
Tver21 April 2022Central Research Institute of the Aerospace Defense Forces7
Kineshma21 April 2022Chemical plant
Korolyov, Moscow Oblast22 April 2022Industrial zone where many enterprises of the space and rocket industry are located
Barvikha23 April 2022Governor's residence in Moscow Region
Bryansk25 April 2022Fuel depot holding 5,000 tonnes of fuel. 2nd Branch of Military Unit 55443–90.
Ussuriysk25 April 2022Military air base
Belgorod27 April 2022Ammunition depot
Moscow28 April 2022Fires and explosions on Moscow's Kustanayskaya street
Ilyinskoye30 April 2022GRES-2 power plant
Perm1 May 2022FKP gunpowder plant
Moscow3 May 2022"Warehouse of a pro-Kremlin publishing house".
Nizhny Novgorod4 May 2022Industrial zone
Nizhnevartovsk4 May 2022Military enlistment office
Kursk5 May 2022Unknown
Perm8 May 2022Aviation college
Dubovoye, Belgorod Oblast11 May 2022Unknown
Teysin, Amursky district12 May 2022Military installation
Berdsk17 May 2022Chemical plant
Zhukovsky21 May 2022Fire at the substation in TsAGI
Moscow24 May 2022Saint Peter and Paul Church
Moscow3 June 2022Grand Setun Plaza Building, business center with Pension Fund of Russia offices
Komsomolsk-on-Amur4 June 2022Rosgvardia building
Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod8 June 2022Rosatom Institute of Digital Technologies
Sergiyev Posad8 June 2022Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant warehouse
Vladivostok8 June 2022Military enlistment office
Ust-Luga10 June 2022"Factor" timber terminal owned by oligarch Ramis Deberdeyev
near Gulevka11 June 2022Druzhba pipeline
Angarsk23 June 2022LPG station 0
Moscow3 July 2022Residential skyscraper
near Moscow3 August 2022e-commerce warehouse1
Volokolamsk12 September 2022Plastic chip depot warehouse
Novokuznetsk26 September 2022Steel plant owned by Putin ally Roman Abramovich0
Moscow9 October 2022Television and radio tower
Belgorod11 October 2022Electricity substation
Ryazan21 October 2022Gunpowder factory16
Saint Petersburg26 October 2022Warehouse0
Stalnoi Kon16 November 2022Oil depot0
near Saint Petersburg19 November 2022Gas pipeline0
Moscow21 November 2022Warehouse near three railway stations5
Angarsk27 November 2022Angarsk Petrochemical Plant 0
Surazh29 November 2022Oil storage tank0
Perm30 November 2022Thermal Power Plant #9 0
Khimki9 December 2022MEGA Khimki Shopping Centre, explosion and fire covering 1
Barnaul9 December 2022Tyre manufacturing plant0
Moscow10 December 2022Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts0
Balashikha12 December 2022Shopping center0
Nizhnekamsk12 December 2022Synthetic rubber factory0
Saint Petersburg13 December 2022Machine-building plant0
Angarsk15 December 2022Angarsk Petrochemical Plant2
Vladivostok17 December 2022Confectionery factory warehouse0
Snezhinsk18 December 2022Shopping center0
Verkhnemarkovo, Irkutsk Oblast18 December 2022Oil and gas condensate field0
Kalinino, Chuvashia20 December 2022Gas pipeline3
Kurgan20 December 2022Kamaz auto service center0
Murmansk22 December 2022Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier0
Moscow23 December 2022Military base0
Murmansk24 December 2022Supply base0
Novosibirsk26 December 2022Warehouse
Saint Petersburg29 December 2022Warehouse0
Kronstadt30 December 2022Oil tanker0
Rostov Nuclear Power Plant31 December 2022Transformer substation1

2024

LocationDateFacilityDeathsCoordinates
near St Petersburg21 January 2024Gas terminal
Belgorod15 February 2024Shopping center4-6
Vysotsk18 May 2024LNG terminal
Vyborg19 May 2024Oil depot
Moscow14 June 2024Sukhoi Design Bureau
Fryazino, Moscow Oblast24 June 2024Platan Research Institute8
Makhachkala, Dagestan27 September 2024Gas station13

2025

LocationDateFacilityDeathsCoordinates
Kopeysk, Chelyabinsk Oblast22 October 20252025 Plastmass Factory explosion23