Vladimir Putin has been struck another blow after a military airport in the Moscow region was the scene of a massive fire on Wednesday.
Images shared online showed black smoke rising over Chkalovsky Airport.
The airport is located in the town of Shchelkovo, 20 miles northeast of central Moscow.
Footage showed a helicopter being dispatched to frantically try to put out the flames.
According to the Russian-language Telegram channel 112, the fire spread to 8,600 square feet, starting on the roof of the airport.
City officials in Shchelkovo told news channel MSK1 that the cause of the fire was “a short circuit in the plant building.”
Supporters of Ukraine mocked Russia after the news of the fire broke.
Jay in Kiev posted: “The building on the territory of the Chkalovsky military airport is burning in the Moscow region Russia. Careless smokers??”
Chkalovsky airport has been targeted by Ukrainian forces in the past, according to Russian sources, although there is no indication so far that the fire was the result of a strike from Kiev.
A similar incident occurred in September 2023, when a fire broke out in Shchelkovo just days after Ukrainian intelligence said saboteurs had destroyed three planes.
