Reports of fire at Moscow’s Ministry of Defence

Reports of a fire that broke out at Russia’s Ministry of Defence emerged last night.

In the early hours of Thursday, May 25, a huge blaze was observed at Russia’s Ministry of Defence building in Moscow, writes CNN.

 Based on information from emergency services, Russian News Agency TASS initially reported: ‘A fire broke out on a balcony at the Ministry of Defence building on Frunzenskaya Naberezhnaya (Frunze Embankment).’ They also said that emergency services were active at the scene of the incident.

However, following a statement from Moscow’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, Tass has now denied that the fire took place: ‘The presence of a fire has not been confirmed, as no fire was detected by the fire brigade upon arrival. Neither is there any information about victims.’

However, in widely available online video footage seen the Defense Ministry building is seen surrounded by smoke and a woman is overheard commenting: ‘The smell of burning is horrible.’

This latest development follows an incident earlier this month when two small explosions took place over the dome of the Kremlin, which officials claim was an attempt to assassinate President Putin.