Russia's Defense Ministry Isn't Having a Great Week

First the agency's building caught on fire, then a gunman tried to storm it
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 7, 2023 5:31 AM CDT
Updated Apr 7, 2023 7:03 AM CDT
Russia's Defense Ministry Isn't Having a Great Week
A view of the building housing the Russian Defense Ministry is seen in Moscow on Feb. 14, 2018.   (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Russia's Defense Ministry isn't terribly popular these days, especially among Ukrainians, but if it's any consolation to its detractors, the government agency isn't having the best week. Citing the Tass news agency, the Daily Beast reports that a man sporting a pistol tried to get into the ministry's main building in Moscow on Friday, though he was ultimately unsuccessful. According to Tass, the suspect "shouted loudly and waved his arms," and when he was detained, "he could not explain the motive for the act." There were no casualties, and his weapon—an air pistol—was confiscated. He was reportedly charged with petty hooliganism and sent for a mental health evaluation.

That wasn't the only incident at the ministry in recent days. Reuters reports that the ministry's headquarters caught fire on Wednesday, though it was a "small blaze" that was extinguished soon after it began, with no casualties, according to Tass. "This is a good time to share some fire prevention tips actually," YouTuber Philip DeFranco snarked under a video he posted of the burning building on TikTok, per Newsweek. "The best way to prevent these fires is to leave Ukraine." (More Russia stories.)

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