Raging inferno rips through Moscow factory producing body armour for Putin’s troops as cops probe ‘sabotage attack’

A raging inferno ripped through a factory producing body armour for Vladimir Putin‘s troops near Moscow in the early hours of this morning. 

The owner of the factory, Gavary Group, is under Ukrainian sanctions linked to the war.

Russian law enforcement is investigating whether this morning’s inferno was caused by arson in an act of sabotage, reported Mash media outlet.

There were no reports of drones targeting the plant on Entuziastov Avenue, Obukhovo, Moscow region.

The blaze destroyed some 86,000 square feet of a workshop and warehouse, according to reports.

More than 100 firefighters sought to save the key production line, and a fire train was even sent to the scene of the incident.

The plant reportedly makes a number of polymer products but has a key defence role linked to body armour, helmets, protective shoes and other items. This is why it was sanctioned by Kyiv.

No casualties were reported following the blaze, with workers fleeing the premises before the fire engulfed the building.

Explosions and fires at strategic facilities including defence plants, oil depots and gas supply lines have become regular during the war which has been underway for almost 23 months.

It comes as a Russian missile attack struck a hotel in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine on Wednesday evening, wounding 11 people, according to local authorities.

The strike comes just ahead of the war’s second anniversary, with both Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of inflicting dozens of civilian casualties in a sharp escalation of attacks.

‘Two missiles hit a hotel in the centre of Kharkiv. There were no military personnel there. Instead, there were 30 civilians, eleven of whom were wounded,’ Mayor Igor Terekhov posted on Telegram.

One of the wounded is in ‘very serious condition’, he said, adding that ‘Turkish journalists are among the victims’.

According to the state emergency services, those hurt in the strike were ‘hotel staff and guests, one of whom is a foreign journalist’.

Rescuers evacuated 19 people, the service said on Telegram, sharing a video of the operations, which showed a small building with blown-out windows.

Several other buildings, including two apartment blocks, were also reported damaged in the latest strike.

‘In addition to the hotel, residential buildings were affected – one communal, one private, a car dealership and a manufacturing enterprise,’ Mayor Terekhov said.

Oleg Synegoubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, said two Russian S-300 missiles had hit the hotel around 10:30 pm (2030 GMT).

Nine of the 11 wounded were hospitalised and two were treated on-site, with a 35-year-old man the most seriously injured, he said.

Located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Russian border, Ukraine’s second-largest city has seen regular and often deadly aerial assaults.

Across the border, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had intercepted three Ukrainian drones at around 4:30 am (0130 GMT) on Thursday over the Tula, Kaluga and Rostov regions.

Voronezh region governor Aleksandr Gusev also reported that a Ukrainian drone had hit ‘the roof of a non-residential building’ overnight, although said there was ‘no harm done’.