1/ The 51st GRAU arsenal near Moscow, which exploded spectacularly today, was the target of a massive theft in 2017 which 646 million rubles ($7.9m) out of a 1.3 billion ruble ($16m) budget were stolen from a modernisation programme. ⬇️
2/ These photos show the interior of the arsenal in happier times; the drone footage above was filmed in 2017 during a press tour. The Russian authorities say that the explosion was due to "safety violations" and are setting up a commission of inquiry to investigate it. 
3/ In October 2017, the FSB opened a criminal investigation into Spetsmontazh LLC, a company which had been given a 1.3 billion ruble contract by the Russian Ministry of Defence in 2013 to carry out construction and maintenance work at the arsenal. It was paid in advance.
4/ However, the FSB was reported to have found that as much as 646 million rubles – half of the entire budget – had been stolen by the company's management, without the contracted work being done. The firm was subsequently liquidated by order of the Russian MOD.
5/ It's not clear whether or how the case was resolved. However, unless the stolen money was recovered, it's likely that the planned improvements were never delivered, which may have contributed to today's explosions. /end
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