Russian tank factory rocked by massive explosion sending fireball into the sky in latest blow to Putin’s war effort

A RUSSIAN factory making engines for Putin’s tanks and armoured vehicles has been rocked by a massive explosion. A fireball shot into the sky after the blast at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant in the Urals. A huge fireball shot into the sky after the explosion at the factory A powerful “explosion” was reported  by locals. The plant is under US and Ukrainian sanctions as “an enterprise specialising in the production of diesel engines for military equipment for the needs of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”. Key Russian installations have been repeatedly hit by sabotage or kamikaze drone attacks.  Chelyabinsk would appear out of range for drones from Ukraine – but a criminal probe has been launched into the cause of the explosion. The factory is a key supplier for a range of key military firepower such as the T-72, T-90 Proryv tanks, the BMPT Terminator, Akatsiya self-propelled artillery units, and the Msta-S and Koalitsiya-SV complexes. And the plant is currently used to repair military equipment for use in Putin’s war against Ukraine, it is understood. Russia claimed the explosion was caused by a “short circuit”. Russia routinely plays down fires at key facilities during the war.  Local sources said later the fire was under control but it was unclear to what extent  the blaze had impacted on the plant’s work.