DRAMATIC footage shows the moment a warehouse in Ukraine feared to be storing Western ammunition went up in flames after being blitzed by missiles.
A huge inferno engulfed the Nova Poshta depot in the Black Sea city of Odesa overnight after Vladimir Putin's troops blasted it with ballistic missiles.
At least 14 people were wounded by the strike which triggered a series of explosions, Ukrainian sources said.
Russian outlets claim a large amount of Western ammunition that had just been delivered to Ukraine was obliterated in the blast.
According to pro-Putin Telegram channels, Ukrainian troops were visible in the aftermath of the strike - indicating the private postal facility was used as an ammunition store.
One account said: "A warehouse with NATO shells received from abroad the day before is on fire."
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Russian pro-Kremlin outlet Readovka reported: “More and more SBU [Ukrainian secret service] officers are arriving at the site, as well as fire brigades.
“The latter are in no hurry to put out the fire due to the threat of explosions.”
The outlet claimed the warehouse contained "shells from the US which had just been delivered".
There was no independent verification of the claims regarding Western munitions nor Ukrainian troops being at the scene ahead of firefighters.
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The strike comes as fresh US and other NATO military supplies are this week arriving in Ukraine after a pause partly caused by gridlock in the US Congress, which delayed approval.
Russian reports alleged that the postal warehouse “is engaged in logistics for the Armed Forces of Ukraine".
Ukrainian accounts said the facility was a “local sorting depot” belonging to Ukraine’s “largest privately owned mail and logistics company”.
The founder of the private postal service, Vladimir Popereshnyuk, said approximately 900 parcels had been destroyed.
Ukraine’s military administration said: “The fire is being extinguished.
“There are broken windows in the surrounding houses.
“The law enforcement officers are recording yet another crime by the Russians against the civilian population.”