A powerful blast ripped through a Russian town east of Moscow on Tuesday where a weapons arsenal is located, local media and Telegram channels close to Russia's security services said, prompting the evacuation of several villages. Local authorities declared a state of emergency in the Vladimir region, where unverified video published on Telegram showed a huge fire ball and clouds of thick smoke rising into the sky. The defence ministry said the fire had been caused by a breach of safety requirements and had resulted in the detonation of ammunition stored in a warehouse.