Diverging Opinions on Cause of Sasovo Explosion

This document, a press report from Moscow Pravda dated April 15, 1991, details a powerful explosion that occurred near the city of Sasovo in the Ryazan Oblast of the USSR at midnight on April 12, 1991. The blast was significant enough to damage apartment blocks, buildings, and structures, ripping off roofs and shattering windows. While no serious injuries were reported, some residents suffered from shock or minor cuts from glass. The incident caused widespread confusion and speculation among the local population. A. Rozhkov, the Chairman of the Sasovskiy Rayon Soviet of People's Deputies, noted that the cause remained unclear, with theories ranging from the detonation of buried munitions from the last war to a meteorite strike or a UFO. The latter theory was supported by reports of individuals who claimed to have seen a moving fiery sphere. Military personnel who visited the site suggested that ammonium nitrate, which had been stored in the area for agricultural use, might have exploded. However, this remained a hypothesis pending further analysis by the USSR Academy of Sciences. The report highlights the presence of a crater measuring 28 meters in diameter and 4 meters deep, located 1 kilometer from the city, alongside a large quantity of ammonium nitrate fertilizer.