THIS is the moment one of Vladimir Putin’s major gas pipelines exploded in Russia sparking a 100ft high inferno.
The result of the explosion triggered a serious fire as fears of a Ukraine sabotage attack continue to grow.
A giant 100ft column of smoke rose into the air following the giant explosionEast2West
The raging inferno happened in the Russian village of Elshanka and could be seen for milesEast2West
East2WestLocals reported two distinct explosions, although the cause remains unknown[/caption]
Footage shows the raging inferno which was visible for miles around the village of Elshanka in Kamyshinsky District, Volgograd Oblast on Saturday.
A column of fire rose 100ft high into the sky with locals reporting two distinct explosions.
Investigators were examining whether the blasts were caused by sabotage of the major artery pipeline linked to the war in Ukraine, or an accident, possibly triggered by high 30C heat in Saratov region.
The governor of the region Roman Busargin said there was depressurisation in the pipeline.
An emergency operation was underway to put out the blaze.
There were no initial reports of casualties.
State media quoted an onlooker saying: “Wow, something is exploding there. Holy ****!”
This pipeline connected to a network built to transport natural gas from Russia to Central and Western Europe via Ukraine.
The terrifying ordeal comes amid a series of sabotage strikes earlier this year on key Russian energy facilities linked to the war in Ukraine.
Kyiv rarely claims responsibility for such strikes, however.
In March, a gas pipeline in Siberia was rocked by a massive mystery explosion for the second time in ten months.
Footage caught the huge fireball from the blast on the Yamburg-Yelets 1 main supply pipe in the Khanty-Mansi region of Siberia, where the inferno’s glow was visible for several miles.
A smoke column was visible for several miles, with the cause of the explosion urgently investigated.
Like today’s explosion in Elshanka, reports claimed there were no casualties.
Putin’s assets were also badly hit last week when Ukraine used US-made ATACMS rockets to pelt a Russian military base.
A series of deadly missiles were launched at Putin-occupied Luhansk as deafening explosions rang out in the city, causing panic.
The Kremlin-appointed regime reported that 22 people, including an eight-year-old child, suffered injuries in the blitz.
The same day, a Ukrainian drone also destroyed Russia’s “indestructible” turtle tank in yet another blow to Putin’s failing forces.
Footage shows the sturdy military vehicle suddenly blowing up in flames after its crew left the hatch wide open in a fatal mistake.
The drone is seen in the daylight mission smoothly descending until it enters Mad Vlad’s tanker, hitting it with pinpoint accuracy.