A fire broke out in the building of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the center of Moscow (video)

Russia denied reports of a fire in its defense ministry building in central Moscow, according to the official news agency TASS, after the agency quoted emergency services as saying that a fire broke out in the balcony.

“A fire broke out on the balcony of the Defense Ministry building on Frunzenskaya Nabernaya,” TASS initially quoted a source with emergency services as saying, also indicating that emergency services were working at the scene.

TASS reported that local officials later said no fire had been detected in the building.

“No fire was confirmed as no fire was detected by firefighters upon arrival. There is no information about victims,” TASS quoted the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Moscow.

A video clip, published by CNN, showed smoke surrounding the Ministry of Defense building, and a woman was heard saying: “The burning smell is horrible.”

As a symbol of Russia’s military, the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow is on fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XCDEP6otXQ

— Olga Lautman 🇺🇦 (@OlgaNYC1211) May 24, 2023

Earlier this month, a small explosion apparently caused by two drones took place in the Kremlin, which Moscow described at the time as an assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin.