Explosion at an ammunition depot in the Czech Republic leaves one injured

An explosion at an ammunition depot in the centre of the Czech Republic rocked the town of Polička yesterday morning, leaving at least one person injured. The facility is owned by the Czech defence group STV, the country's only manufacturer of large-calibre ammunition.  

According to the Czech Fire and Rescue Service, the detonation occurred at around 9 in the morning in one of the buildings of the Policske strojirny complex, where STV manufactures ammunition and carries out repairs of military equipment. The situation led to the immediate evacuation of the site and the mobilisation of eleven firefighting teams, who managed to control the fire that broke out after the explosion.  

The injured man was taken by helicopter to the University Hospital in Olomouc, and local authorities assured that there was no danger to local residents. As a precautionary measure, several nearby roads were closed.  

David Hac, president of the STV Group, stated that the company is working closely with the emergency services: ‘The safety of our employees and local residents is paramount to us. All necessary measures were taken immediately after the incident.’  

This incident brings to mind the 2014 explosions in Vrbětice, in the Zlín region, which left two people dead and prompted an investigation that revealed the involvement of agents of the Russian intelligence service GRU in an attempt to disrupt the supply of weapons to Ukraine.  

Although there is no indication that the current event is related to acts of sabotage, investigations into the causes of the explosion are still ongoing. For the time being, the Czech police have reported that the probable cause of the incident was a technical failure in one of the production halls. 

‘We hope that this is not related to the current security situation and that everything will be resolved soon because STV is a crucial supplier for our army,’ said Defence Minister Jana Černocová.