Ukraine largest armaments depot catches fire
27 September 2017
Ukraine’s largest
ammunitions depot ignited in fire the night of Sept. 26, destroying at least
10% of its territory and four buildings, as of this morning. No casualties were
reported and one nearby resident was reportedly treated for injuries. Local
residents video-recorded scenes of ammunition exploding for hours into the
night, with authorities confirming about half of the affected territory was
storing ammunition. About 30,000 residents were evacuated from the surrounding
villages of the Kalynivka depot, located in the Vinnytsia region in central
Ukraine.
Prime Minister
Volodymyr Groysman said “foreign factors” could be responsible for the fire, a
reference to saboteurs acting on behalf of the Russian government, which is at
war with Ukraine. The Kalynivka fire occurred six months after the Balakliya
artillery depot located in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine caught fire,
resulting in the destruction of 243 buildings and an unconfirmed amount of
ammunition. Authorities identified foreign sabotage as the cause.
knowing much about either the Kalynivka or Balakliya fires, it’s hard to draw
any conclusions other than these incidents making the Ukrainian government look
incompetent, regardless if the reason is foreign sabotage, corruption or just
plain negligence. If the government can’t maintain the safety of its
ammunitions depots, then its ability to be responsible Western-supplied
armaments is just as questionable (particularly after this week’s report of
alleged illegal arms sales).
