Battery warehouse catches fire in Russia's Alabuga SEZ

That is according to the Telegram channel Astra, Ukrinform reports.

Local media say a warehouse storing batteries in Alabuga has caught fire. Initially, it was reported that the blaze covered 1,000 square meters, but the fire area later expanded to 5,000 square meters.

More than 300 people evacuated on their own.

The Alabuga administration later confirmed the fire.

"A fire occurred at a 5,000 square meter battery warehouse located on the territory of the Alabuga SEZ. There are no casualties," the statement said.

CNN previously revealed that from January to September 2024, Alabuga produced more than 5,700 Shahed drones, twice as many as during the same period in 2023.

According to reports, Iran transferred the technology for producing Shahed-136 kamikaze drones to Russia in the fall of 2022, after which Russia launched domestic production in Alabuga. In Russia, these drones are labeled as Geran-2.

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence has stated that Russia plans to bring in around 12,000 North Korean workers to work at the Alabuga SEZ by the end of this year.

Photo: Astra