A major factory in Russia reported to be involved in rebuilding a key Crimean bridge went up in flames in the early hours of Saturday following a suspected Ukrainian stealth missile strike across the border.
Local media reported that the plant, in the Borisovsky district of the Belgorod region, produces spare parts for bridges and was expected to help reconstruct the Kerch Strait Bridge, which was severely damaged in an Ukrainian attack last year.
Videos posted by local residents on social media showed a blaze rising over the plant on the horizon that was visible from a few kilometres away and lit up the pre-dawn sky.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, said in a statement that the fire caused by a Ukrainian strike had been contained and that firefighters were “doing their best to minimise the damage”.
He added that the attack did not cause any casualties and did not name the target of the attack.