Explosion Rocks Gas Pipeline in Russia
© Via Twitter
A screen grab from social media purportedly shows a blast at a gas pipeline in the urban district of Pelym, Sverdlovsk Region.
Video shared on social media shows the aftermath of a blast on a gas pipeline in Russia, in the latest unexplained fire in the country since it invaded Ukraine.
"Explosion and fire at the gas pipeline in the north of Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, town of Pelym," tweeted the account of War Translated, which provides updates about Russia's war. Pelym is around 950 miles east of Moscow and 270 miles north of the Siberian energy hub of Tyumen.
Russian energy giant Gazprom said that part of the Yamburg-Yelets 1 gas pipeline had caught fire at 6.37 p.m. local time on Wednesday during repairs but there was no disruption to supplies or casualties.
The 49-second clip which as of Thursday morning had received over 82,000 views shows a huge column of fire filmed from a distance while a male narrator describes what is happening.
"An emergency, a gas pipeline explosion. It appears to be near a road, next to a concrete highway on the way out of the village," he said, "by the look of it, the taps are not turned off yet. It will be burning for a while."
Maria Drutska, who writes about the war in Ukraine, tweeted video of the fire, writing, "Nothing is happening in Russia. Just some explosion followed by a fire occurred on a gas pipeline in the urban district of Pelym, Sverdlovsk Region." Special Kherson Cat, which tweets about the war, also shared video of the blast. "It burns well!" tweeted the account of Ukraine Front Lines.
Gazprom said in a statement reported by the Tass news agency: "When the depressurization occurred, the gas pipeline section had been turned off for repairs and was not involved in gas transportation." Newsweek has emailed Gazprom for further comment.
Although there is no evidence of sabotage, a number of unexplained blasts have taken place in Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These include incidents at ammunition depots and military sites within Russian territory, often close to its border with Ukraine. Russia has blamed some of blasts on Ukraine, although Kyiv has denied involvement.
Earlier in March, there were blasts near the headquarters of the FSB's border guard service in the city of Rostov-on-Don, which is located around 75 miles from the Russian border with Ukraine and 20 miles from the Sea of Azov, a strategic location for the war in Ukraine.
Also this month, a blast in Kolomna, around 100 miles from Moscow, came on the heels of reports of drone attacks in at least five regions.
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