Massive fire erupts at Hydromash plant in Russian-occupied Melitopol
A massive fire broke out on June 8 at the Hydromash plant in the occupied city of Melitopol, which Russian forces have repurposed as a repair base, report local Telegram channels, publishing footage of the blaze.
Eyewitnesses report that flames are reaching tens of meters high, with thick black smoke enveloping much of the city. The intensity of the fire is such that it is visible from most areas, including both the outskirts and central sections of Melitopol. While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, the Melitopol administration's press service stated that the fire originated in one of the plant's workshops.
Multiple firefighting units are currently at the scene, and special equipment is being deployed around the city. Due to the severe smoke, the bridge to New Melitopol, which runs near the plant's territory, has been closed off. Previously a civilian enterprise producing hydraulic equipment and pumps for various industries, the Hydromash plant was reportedly converted by Russian occupation forces for military infrastructure since the outbreak of full-scale war.
Notably, the Hydromash site has been attacked multiple times. According to the Ukrainian Center for National Resistance, earlier in 2023, the Russians had set up an ammunition storage facility there.
On June 2, 2025, explosions rattled occupied Melitopol. Reports indicated that strikes targeted electrical substations, leaving parts of Melitopol, as well as Primorsk, Energodar, Akimovka in the Zaporizhzhia region, Henichesk, and around 90 other settlements in the Kherson region without power.