A fire has broken out at a ship repair facility in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, local officials reported on Dec. 23, with residents earlier reporting the sound of explosions.

The Nizhny Novgorod Transport Prosecutor’s Office said on Dec. 23 that a crane vessel caught on fire near the Volga River in the Sibirsky Zaton area while the facility was carrying out work.

It added that the fire is being extinguished by rescue services and the circumstances of the incident are being established.

The Main Directorate of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Novgorod Oblast said that fuel is burning over an area of 100 square meters, and there is a risk of the fire spreading to the adjacent floating crane.

According to Russian state media, one person was killed as a result of the incident.

Local residents claimed that the vessel belonging to the Borskaya Ship Repair Company was on fire, and the Telegram channel Exilenova Plus published video purporting to show the blaze.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

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A video which purports to show fire in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on Dec. 23, 2025. (Exilenova+/Telegram)

Ukraine has not commented on the fire.

In November, a Lukoil oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast was hit by Ukrainian drones, a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.

Over 50 Ukrainian-made drones, including Bober and FPV-1 models, were used in the joint operation, conducted by HUR, the Armed Forces, and the Special Operations Forces, according to the source.

The refinery was reportedly struck while undergoing repairs to a rectification column used for primary oil processing.

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