On the night of 21 July, large-scale fires broke out in Russia in Vsevolozhsk, in the Leningrad Oblast, and in Lipetsk. Emergency services reported that they had brought under control an open fire at a polymer materials production facility covering an area of 5,900 square metres. In Lipetsk, where a missile alert had previously been issued, an open-air area at industrial facilities on Peredilskaya Street caught fire.
Briefly about the main points
- A fire broke out at a polymer materials factory in Vsevolozhsk.
- The area affected by the fire there reached 5,900 square metres.
- The open fire in Vsevolozhsk has been brought under control.
- A playground on Peredilskaya Street caught fire in Lipetsk.
- NLMK has not officially confirmed that it was directly affected.
The fire at «Ladoza» has been contained within an area of 5,900 square metres
A fire broke out in a warehouse and production building on Vsevolozhsky Prospekt in Vsevolozhsk, near St Petersburg. The «Ladoga» industrial park is located at this address.
Russian emergency services reported that the fire had spread to a polymer materials production facility. The blaze was contained within an area of approximately 5,900 square metres, and the firefighters subsequently extinguished the open flames.
The emergency services did not specify the cause of the fire. They did not report any public link between this incident and an air strike or a missile threat.
A fire broke out in Lipetsk following a missile alert
A missile alert was issued overnight in the Lipetsk region; according to a local publication, it lasted around 20 minutes. Residents of the city reported hearing loud noises, and later, in the industrial area of Lipetsk, they noticed smoke.
Governor Igor Artamonov stated that the fire broke out in an open-air area of the production facilities on Peredilska Street. The area affected by the fire was approximately 2,500 square metres; additional fire and rescue services were called in to help extinguish the blaze.
The governor’s statement did not specify the cause of the fire or name the company on whose premises the fire broke out.
Why was the incident linked to NLMK?
Reports have emerged on social media and OSINT channels regarding a possible attack in the area of the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant and the Lipetsk CHPP-2. Peredilska Street is situated in an industrial zone adjacent to the NLMK site, which is why the fire was linked to the plant’s vicinity.
The ASTRA OSINT project, whose reports were picked up by the media, geolocated the source of the fire between TPP-2 and NLMK. However, the project did not establish exactly which facility was on fire or might have been the target.
Therefore, the available information suggests that there was a fire near NLMK, but there is no confirmation that the plant itself or its production facilities were damaged.
Regions of the Russian Federation have also reported incidents
A missile alert was also issued that same night in the Belgorod region. Reports of alarms and fires in various regions coincided in time, but there is no officially established link between the fires in Vsevolozhsk and Lipetsk.
The Lipetsk incident unfolded against a backdrop of a missile threat, whilst in the case of «Ladoga», the emergency services reported a major fire at the production facility and its extinguishing. The causes of both fires were not specified in the reports provided.
