Image Credits - Radio Free Europe
An explosion has been reported close to the Russian Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, which is well-known for producing strategic ballistic missiles and missile engines. Official sources have emphasised that the event was prearranged and not an emergency, but state media has linked it to a test of a rocket engine.
Videos of a large explosion close to the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, which is situated just outside of Izhevsk and around 370 miles east of Moscow, have been making headlines on social media and Telegram channels. The incident has raised questions and sparked debates on the safety procedures for missile testing.
According to official information released on the incident by the Russian state news agency TASS, the explosion was caused by a routine rocket engine test. Citing the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, the Zavyalovsky District joint dispatch service verified that the explosion was a planned event and did not constitute an emergency.
“The Votkinsk Machine Building Plant notified us. It was an engine test for a rocket. Not an emergency, but a scheduled event,” the dispatch service said.
An essential facility that produces strategic ballistic missiles and missile engines, notably those for the Topol-M and Iskander systems, is the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant. Concerns have been raised over the safety protocols used during such crucial testing activities in the wake of the explosion close to this plant.