Massive fire breaks out deep inside Russia as Putin’s pilots defect to Ukraine

Russia’s war effort continues to struggle with mystery fires and a pilot defecting to Ukraine (Image: TWITTER) An enormous fire has torn down a warehouse deep inside Russia as attacks on Kremlin soil escalate. Video circulating on social media shows the inferno at a warehouse in Vidnoye, a town in Moscow Oblast . The enormous blaze covers 1,200 square metres and has decimated a warehouse storing paint and varnish. It is unclear whether the incident, unfolding since around 11.30pm local time, is the result of a missile strike or an act of sabotage – though both situations are possible. Drone attacks have been targeting Russia on a nightly basis, particularly in the Moscow Oblast region, while saboteurs have also been regularly starting fires behind enemy lines . The latest blaze broke out at a warehouse in Vidnoye, a town in Moscow Oblast (Image: TWITTER) Attacks on Vladimir Putin’s territory come amid significant revolts within the ranks of his military – the latest being an Mi-8 helicopter pilot who is urging others to follow his lead. Maksim Kuzminov, 28, flew the white flag on August 23 after landing on Ukrainian territory. The military had planned the surrender of an Mi-8 chopper pilot for six months – and the pilot’s family has since been evacuated to Ukraine. “If you do what I did, this kind of thing, you will not regret it at all. You will be provided for the rest of your life with absolutely everything,” he told new documentary Downed Russian Pilots. “You will be offered work everywhere, whatever you want to do. You will just discover for yourself the world of colors.” Preliminary reports indicated that the fire covered 1,200 square metres (Image: TWITTER) Kuzminov also condemned Putin’s war effort. He said: ‘What is happening now is simply the genocide of the Ukrainian people. ‘Both Ukrainian and Russian. The basis of my action is not to contribute to these crimes. ‘Ukraine will definitely win this war simply because the people have rallied very much… No one wants this war. Maksim Kuzminov, a 28-year-old Russian pilot, urged troops to defect to Ukraine like he did (Image: GETTY) The latest fire in Russia comes hours after another huge blaze at an oil depot in St Petersburg. The Russian Emergency Ministry said on Telegram that dozens of firefighters were called to the scene. It was reported at 10.59am local time. A hangar of 80 by 10 metres was up in flames. The effort to put out the fire, which burned an area of about 800 square metres (8,600 square feet), involved around 100 people. Follow our social media accounts here on  facebook.com/ExpressUSNews  and @ExpressUSNews