Ukraine artillery depot burns, forcing evacuation of 20,000 residents

An explosion at an artillery depot early this morning has caused an inferno that continues to burn, requiring the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents in the nearby town of Balakliya in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak reported. The blaze is consuming a third of the artillery, some of which flew in distances as far as two kilometers, he said. So far, the cause of the fire is determined to be sabotage and security at all artillery depots throughout Ukraine has been intensified, he said. The Security Service of Ukraine has opened a criminal case for sabotage involving the incident.

Zenon Zawada: Security failed to protect this artillery depot from sabotage, likely (but not necessarily) committed by Russian-backed forces. The next few days should indicate whether the Russian government is pursuing an expanded campaign of sabotage to foment instability in Ukraine, or whether this was an isolated incident.