Italy Finds No Russian Link to Munitions Plant Blast
Italian authorities found no evidence of Russian involvement in an August 13 explosion at a munitions plant near Rome, with the defense minister calling it an internal incident.
BREAKING:
A large explosion and fire hit a munitions plant in Colleferro, south of Rome, Italy.
The blast occurred at the plant owned by the major Italian defense manufacturer KNDS Ammo Italy, which produces medium- and large-caliber ammunition and solid rocket fuels.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 13, 2026
Guido Crosetto, Italy’s defence minister, told the Italian news agency Adnkronos on August 17 that investigators had uncovered nothing suggesting foreign involvement in the August 13 explosion at the KNDS Ammo Italy facility in Colleferro, located southeast of the capital, according to Brussels Signal.
The blast occurred after firefighters had already been deployed to extinguish a fire at the site. The explosion left a crater approximately 10 metres wide and one and a half metres deep, with the sound audible several kilometres away, Italian media reported.
Fortunately, no injuries were recorded. The plant had been closed for the summer holiday period, with only 24 maintenance workers present at the time of the incident.
The facility, operated by a subsidiary of the Franco-German defence conglomerate KNDS, manufactures medium- and large-calibre ammunition for land and naval systems, as well as solid propellants for aerospace launch vehicles.
Powder-Pressing Department Destroyed
The explosion struck the plant’s powder-pressing department. Early witness accounts reported by Italian news agency ANSA suggested a press exploded during processing, though investigators could only determine the precise cause after the fire was extinguished and forensic teams gained access to the site.
KNDS Ammo Italy was previously known as Simmel Difesa, which was acquired from Britain’s Chemring Group in 2014 by French state-controlled Nexter Systems. The following year, Nexter merged with Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to form KNDS. The same Colleferro facility experienced a deadly explosion in 2007 while still operating as Simmel Difesa, killing one worker and injuring 13 others.
The Italian government has not addressed reports that the plant produces ammunition destined for Ukraine. Authorities continue their investigation into the cause of the blast.
Sabotage Speculation and Bulgarian Connection
Speculation about possible Russian sabotage circulated in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, fuelled partly by social media activity connected to Russian sources and a similar incident at an ammunition facility in Bulgaria just three days prior.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on August 17 that prosecutors in Velletri were examining potential connections between the Colleferro blast and recent incidents at Bulgarian ammunition plants. Investigators contacted by Reuters refused to comment on the matter.
The case has been opened on the basis of culpable disaster against persons unknown. Carabinieri from the Rome provincial command, working alongside the force’s RIS forensic unit, have examined the remains of the powder-pressing department, with Velletri chief prosecutor Carlo Villani coordinating the inquiry.
The most recent Bulgarian incident occurred on August 10 at a depot operated by EMCO near the village of Belica in the Tryavna municipality of central Bulgaria. A lorry caught fire and the blaze spread to an ammunition store, triggering a series of explosions.
Approximately 300 workers were evacuated and no casualties were reported. Bulgarian interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev stated the cause appeared to be internal, with the company attributing the incident to human error.
Bulgarian Arms Dealer Previously Poisoned
EMCO is owned by Emilian Gebrev, who was poisoned in Sofia in April 2015 with an organophosphate compound from the Novichok family. Bulgarian prosecutors in 2020 charged three suspected officers of Russia’s GRU military intelligence service in connection with the attack and have linked alleged Russian agents to earlier blasts at depots storing his company’s munitions.
Opposition politician Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist Azione party, called on the government to brief parliament, stating that authorities should clarify what happened as soon as possible, as Brussels Signal reports.
Calenda wrote on social media that Italy cannot remain in uncertainty over a possible Russian hybrid attack, describing such an attack as potentially the gravest ever carried out on Italian soil and among the most devastating in Europe. He also noted the extensive coverage given to the blast by Moscow’s television channels.
Copasir, the Italian parliamentary committee for the security of the Republic, is monitoring the case and maintaining contact with Italian intelligence agencies, Adnkronos reported.
KNDS stated the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation and that the company was not in a position to confirm the cause or the exact sequence of events.
With information from Brussels Signal
