A massive explosion ripped through the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine last night, on the evening of February 8. According to locals, a bright flash visible for kilometers followed the blast. Even residents from the city's surrounding areas say they felt the shockwave. There have been no reports of anyone killed or injured by the explosion.
According to officials from the breakaway Donetsk republic, the site of the blast might have been Donetsk’s state-owned chemical factory, located on the city’s north side. Rebels say the incident could have been caused by a rocket attack or an explosion at the factory.
The Ukrainian Azov battalion, which is currently fighting separatists in eastern Ukraine, confirms that an ammunition depot was blown up in northern Donetsk.
The Donetsk state-owned chemical factory is located in the north of the city, not far from the airport. The factory served as a weapons depot, and a manufacturing plant for anti-tank defenses and industrial-grade explosives.
An armed conflict between separatists and Ukrainian troops has been underway in Donetsk and Lugansk since April 2014. Fighting intensified in January 2015, when the cities of Donetsk and Mariupol were attacked with artillery, killing many civilians. Since the resumption of heavy fighting last month, Donetsk rebels claim to have killed more than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Donetsk's chemical factory has been the site of fighting since September 2014.