What happened

A major fire broke out in an auxiliary process area of the pyrolysis unit at the under-construction Amur Gas Chemical Complex near Svobodny. Equipment undergoing commissioning was shut down, personnel not involved in the response were evacuated, and residual process gases were allowed to burn under controlled conditions after crews localized the fire. The operator said on 27 August that search-and-rescue operations had ended with 15 confirmed deaths — one Russian citizen and 14 foreign nationals, all contractor employees — and that 39 people remained under treatment, including nine transferred to Moscow. Earlier injury and missing-person totals were superseded by that completed-search update. The operator said the main plant equipment was not damaged, work would continue in unaffected areas, and air monitoring found no exceedance at nearby residential areas. No reviewed official, Ukrainian or independent source reported a drone strike. The cause remained under investigation as a possible industrial-safety violation. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was visiting Moscow on 25 August, but the timing supplies no evidence connecting his visit to this fire.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.