• Fires and explosions rocked military bases in Russia and Belarus on Thursday.
• A military housing unit was reportedly on fire outside of Moscow.
• Explosions rocked an airbase in Belarus’ southern Gomel region, where Belarusian troops have been checked for “combat readiness”.

An outbreak of fires and explosions rocked military bases in Russia and Belarus on Thursday, just days after explosions wiped out nine warplanes at a Russian airbase in Crimea.

A military housing unit was reported to be on fire in a town outside of Moscow early Thursday, but no information on how the fire started was provided.

According to the Moscow Region Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire took more than 35 men to identify after they discovered smoke billowing from under the roof.

Several explosions were reported early Thursday at the Ziabrauka airfield in Belarus’ southern Gomel region, which shares a border with Ukraine and where Belarusian troops have been checked for “combat readiness.”

According to the Belarus Ministry of Defense, some military equipment caught fire following a late Wednesday night inspection, according to the Kyiv Independent.

According to an advisor to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, at least eight explosions occurred near the airbase, which is “used by Russian aviation in the war against Ukraine.”

“So far, there is no confirmation if these explosions are connected to any military drills conducted by the Russian and Belarus armies on Belarus territory,” the advisor, Franak Viačorka, added.

The fires occur just days after explosions rocked a Russian airbase in occupied Crimea, destroying at least nine combat planes.

“In just one day, the occupiers lost ten combat aircraft: nine in Crimea and one more in the direction of Zaporizhzhia,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Wednesday. “The occupiers also suffer new losses of armored vehicles, warehouses with ammunition, logistics routes.”

“The more losses the occupiers suffer, the sooner we will be able to liberate our land and guarantee Ukraine’s security,” he added.

It’s unclear what caused the explosions in Crimea, and Ukrainian defence officials haven’t claimed responsibility for the airbase attack.

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According to Reuters, Moscow has downplayed the destructive event, claiming that ammunition had accidentally detonated at the airfield. However, images released Thursday may indicate that it was a missile strike.

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