DRAMATIC footage shows the moment Vladimir Putin’s “meat grinder” HQ was destroyed in a blaze.
The army base, known for brutal defences on the frontline in Vlad’s war against Ukraine was targeted in what could’ve been a sabotage attack.
Fire destroys Putin’s ‘meat grinder’ army HQEast2West
A blaze burns at the army base – one of Vlad’s key regimentsEast2West
AFPRussian dictator Putin meeting soldiers amid his brutal war in Ukraine[/caption]
The 70th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment is notorious for efforts against Ukraine as part of the Russian despot’s failing war.
It has seen a high number of lost fighters, and men refusing to fight.
The inferno could be the result of sabotage, with Russian authorities refusing initially to comment.
And there were no reports of incoming kamikaze drones.
Shocked servicemen are heard in the dramatic video saying: “Our headquarters has burned down.
“Cars…everything…everything is completely gone, the HQ was completely burned down.
“All the documents were there, everything.
“There’s just nothing left at all.”
The regiment includes soldiers from across Russia, who have been involved in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine since 2022.
The war, coming up on two years, has been described repeatedly on the frontline as a “meat grinder” battle.
The battle for Avdiivka, an eastern Ukrainian city, became the most deadly focal point in November last year.
In freezing temperatures Russian forces wore away at the pummelled city, only 12 miles away from Putin’s coveted Donetsk.
Vlad’s forces poured in in their thousands – but reportedly suffered their worst losses of 2023 as Ukraine bravely held the frontline.
In May last year, there was a scandal when some of Vlad’s soldiers at the Rifle Regiment refused to fight, and demanded to be returned to Russia.
And by the end of last year December reports showed that Putin was desperately trying to take down Ukraine on six different fronts – which had become suicidal “meat assaults”.
Russia was haemorrhaging around 1,000 soldiers a day, with one particular day seeing Putin lose 1,250.
Russian media today said this is not the first fire to break out at the two-storey regiment HQ.
There are also key documents relating to soldiers fighting in Ukraine which are believed to have been destroyed in the inferno.
Just days ago another mystery blaze broke out at Putin’s family home near Moscow.
The property, which belongs to Putin’s first cousin, was reduced to ashes after flames engulfed the entire building in Ryazan, 125 miles southeast of the capital.
Roman Putin, the despot’s cousin, was inside the house when the blaze erupted.
He managed to escape – but this is the second property with links to Roman and the Kremlin boss that was destroyed recently.
Previously a hotel where Roman had offices in the remote Novy Urengoy region of north west Russia was destroyed in successive arson attacks, causing £8 million in damage.
It comes as Putin appears ready for an “apocalyptic assault” on Ukraine ahead of Russia’s sham election this year.
A former British Army colonel has warned that Russia is focused on taking control of Ukraine and is “scouring the globe for drones and ammunition from every dictator and rogue state” to do so.
But Rishi Sunak has vowed to increase its military support for Ukraine with £2.5billion as he vowed “we will not falter”.
The Prime Minister is also set to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in a surprise visit to Kyiv today, Downing Street said.
Speaking about today’s visit, which will be Mr Sunak‘s first to Ukraine in more than a year, he: “I am here today with one message: the UK will also not falter.
“We will stand with Ukraine in their darkest hours and in better times to come.”
East2WestIt comes just days after a mystery fire at Putin’s family home (pictured)[/caption]