Satellite imagery contradicts Moscow's ‘pyrotechnics’ explanation for Sergiyev Posad explosion

The New Voice of Ukraine
·4 min read
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The site of the explosion on the territory of the Zagorsky Optical and Mechanical Plant, Serhiyiv Posad
The site of the explosion on the territory of the Zagorsky Optical and Mechanical Plant, Serhiyiv Posad

The massive explosion in Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, Russia on Aug. 9, did not take place in a building rented by the pyrotechnics company Piro-Ross, contrary to the claims of propagandists and representatives of the Kremlin regime, a journalist has said.

Radio Liberty journalist Mark Krutov made the claim on Twitter on Aug. 11, after analyzing satellite images from the company Planet.

Read also: Moscow airports in chaos after multiple reports of drone attacks

Allegedly, Piro-Ross rented a warehouse on the premises of the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant, which supplied the Russian army with binoculars, night-vision devices, and other products.

Satellite photos taken on Aug. 10 show that the Piro-Ross building was not damaged, and the crater produced by the huge explosion is located next to another building. It is not known what is inside this building, and the journalist did not rule out that it could also be rented by Piro-Ross.

Meanwhile, OSINT analyst D. mojavensis also wrote on Twitter that, judging by one of the videos of the explosion, it did not occur in the building marked on Google Maps as belonging to Piro-Ross.

Russian news outlet Agentstvo noted that immediately after the explosion, Piro-Ross CEO Sergei Chankaev claimed that the explosion did not occur in the pyrotechnics warehouse, but in a neighboring room where, according to him, "metal pipes were stored."

After police interrogation, Chankaev claimed that he "did not know" the cause of the explosion, although he had earlier claimed that his employees had heard sounds similar to the strike of a drone.

Read also: Damaged plant near Moscow was developing next-generation bomber aircraft – report

According to the Kremlin, at least one person was killed, about 80 were injured, and eight were reported missing following the huge explosion in Sergiyev Posad, a town in Moscow Oblast about 70 kilometers north-northeast of the Russian capital.

Russian authorities claim that the explosion "occurred in a warehouse with pyrotechnic products" and that it was caused not by a drone strike but by "human factors."

Later, videos of shells near the explosion site were posted online. This prompted specualation that the "pyrotechnics warehouse" was actually an ammunition store.

The Russian outlet Agentstvo also reported, citing the Russian government procurement website, that the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant was involved in the development of a new generation of Russian strategic bomber, called the Poslannik.

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