The Russian mystery fires are a series of unusual fires and explosions that have occurred since the invasion of Ukraine,^[1][2] which have not been formally explained.^[3] There have been many notable arson attacks on military recruitment offices in Russia since the beginning of the war,^[4] and there has been speculation that some of the fires or explosions have been the result of sabotage efforts by Russian partisans^[5] (such as Svoboda Rossii or Atesh partisan legion^[6]) or Ukrainian saboteurs.^[7]

  

Location of mystery fires in Russia

A "yellow" (medium) terrorist threat level was introduced^[8] in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, as well as some districts of Voronezh Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, and northern Crimea. Starting from the end of March, a series of incidents and explosions were reported in border regions of Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, and Voronezh Oblasts. Russian officials reported mortar shelling, drone attacks, and helicopter gunship attacks allegedly coming "from the Ukrainian side".^{[ru 1][9][10]}

The Ukrainian side refused to confirm or deny involvement in incidents at strategic locations.^[11] There were allegations that some of the fires or explosions were the result of Ukrainian sabotage.^[12][13]

In May, a series of incidents on railway lines in Russia impeded the deployment of troops and military equipment to Ukraine; responsibility for these incidents was claimed by the Internet movement "Stop the Wagons"^{[ru 2]} (a reference to the Russian anti-war slogan "Stop the War").^{[ru 3][14]}

• 2023 Kremlin drone explosion
• 2022 Siberian wildfires
• 2022–23 Western Russia attacks
• Crimean Bridge explosion
• Freedom of Russia Legion
• Russian military commissariats attacks
• Suspicious deaths of Russian businesspeople (2022–2024)
• Rail war in Russia (2022–present)

Original Russian terms