Russia's First Polyester Plant Burns Near Rostov After Explosion

Propagandists have claimed an 'attack'.

A massive fire broke out at a polyester plant in Shakhty in the Rostov region of Russia on Wednesday 17 January. Black smoke can be seen at the scene.

Photos and videos of the emergency are being published on Telegram channels.

Eyewitnesses say they first heard an explosion. Now the acrid smoke is spreading through the neighbourhood. The Russian Emergencies Ministry is in no hurry to comment on the situation.

Russian propagandist Kirill Pozdnyakov published footage from the scene on Telegram, saying that the plant had allegedly been attacked by the AFU. However, he then 'backtracked' and wrote that there had been no attack and that something had exploded inside the plant.

The author of the video released by the propagandist suggested that people had probably been killed inside the plant.

At the same time, eyewitnesses noticed inversion marks in the sky - usually left by high-altitude aircraft.

According to Ekaterina Stenyakina, a member of the Russian State Duma from the Rostov region, the production building was destroyed.

The Shakhty plant is the first of its kind in Russia. It was opened less than a year ago, in June 2023. The plant was also included in the list of "100 investment projects of the governor".