A fire broke out in Mariupol – presumably after a missile strike

A major fire broke out in the Russian-controlled Mariupol on Friday night. According to a number of reports from both Russian and Ukrainian sources, it was the result of rocket fire. The fire occurred on the territory of the Concrete Plant, the glow was visible from afar.

Piotr Andryushchenko, who before the Russian invasion held the position of advisor to the mayor of Mariupol and actively commented on the events in the city, noted that, according to his data, there were two explosions in the city – one on the territory of the Concrete Plant, the second not far from there, in the Port City complex. It is claimed that the Russian military stored equipment there. According to Andryushchenko, there are also losses among the personnel of the Russian troops. There are no independent confirmations of these messages. Officially, the Ukrainian military did not comment on a possible missile attack.

The Russian authorities of the Donetsk region (in the Russian terminology of the DPR) claim that the Ukrainian Armed Forces “launched three long-range missiles in the direction of Mariupol”. The type of missiles, the place of arrival and the consequences are not specified.

• Mariupol was occupied by Russian troops in the spring of 2022 after a long siege and street battles. The city was heavily destroyed. It is located at a considerable distance from the front line, but Ukrainian troops periodically launch missile strikes on military facilities in Mariupol.
• Russian troops on Friday night, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, attacked Ukraine using 14 Shahed drones. All of them are said to have been shot down. The day before, Russia used hypersonic missiles “Kynzhal” for a missile attack, one of the missiles was allegedly shot down over Kiev.