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A HUGE explosion has rocked a military unit storing Vladimir Putin's prized missiles in Russia.

It is believed the missile depot near the city of Volgograd was blasted by kamikaze drones in the early hours - triggering a massive blaze.

16 November 2023 ammunition depot explosion and fire near Kotluban village, Volgograd region
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Footage shows the moment the depot explodedCredit: East2West
16 November 2023 ammunition depot explosion and fire near Kotluban village, Volgograd region
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It triggered a huge fire at the site in Kotluban villageCredit: East2West

Footage shows a giant inferno raging following the explosion at around 1am local time.

The depot in Kotluban village is understood to be a missile and ammunition supply base for Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine

More than 600 people including at least three children were evacuated from military housing at the unit after the blast.

A witness said: "Warehouses or a train loaded with shells exploded in a military unit."

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Residents said they heard a kamikaze drone before the unit went up in flames.

Some residents fled the area fearing their homes would be engulfed by the blaze.

Volgograd region governor Andrei Bocharov said the cause of the fire was being probed as the army site was previously attacked by Ukraine in September.  

He said: "A fire occurred on the territory of one of the military units near the village of Kotluban.

"There were no casualties or damage to civilian facilities. 

"The circumstances of the fire are being investigated."

Theories being investigated are a kamikaze drone strike or even sabotage.

An emergency ministry source said: “There were no casualties among the civilian population, there was no destruction of the village’s infrastructure, and no evacuation was required.”

Authorities later said that the inferno was brought under control and extinguished. 

It comes after another Russian military base exploded into flames on Wednesday.

Dramatic footage showed a roaring fire at an army engineering barracks at Kurganinsk in Krasnodar region near Crimea.

Meanwhile, Russia also reported a drone attack on a gunpowder plant in Kotovsk, Tambov region, which supplies Putin’s forces in Ukraine.

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A drone exploded on the roof of a workshop, causing damage and sparking a fire, Russian news outlet Baza reported.

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