Large explosion at Russian ammunition depot east of Moscow

An explosion has taken place at a Russian ammunition depot east of Moscow, military authorities and local media are reporting.

The blast in an ammunition warehouse took place at a defence facility in the western Vladimir region on Tuesday. The site is believed to be a key ammunition storage site for the Russian army.

The Russian military reported the blasts, saying the ammunition had detonated after the storage building caught fire due to "safety violations", state media reported.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Kirzhach district and residents of nearby villages have been evacuated.

Both Russian and Ukrainian media channels and Telegram accounts posted videos and pictures from the site, showing a raging blaze with metres-high flames and mushroom clouds from the explosion.

Russian media reported the defence ministry saying: "As a result of a fire on the territory of a military unit in the Vladimir region, ammunition stored in a warehouse detonated."

The site is a facility in the 51st Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) northeast of the Russian capital, local media reported.

The governor of the Vladimir region said a blast had occurred in the district and more details would be released later.

Alexander Avdeyev also threatened journalists and residents with fines if they shared unofficial information about the blast.