BELPOL: MAZ Decided To Put Out Bus Fires Instead Of Addressing Their Causes

Reform.news Editorial Team · 18 September 2026, 15:14

https://reform.news/en/belpol-maz-decided-to-put-out-bus-fires-instead-of-addressing-their-causes/

Since 2022, open sources have recorded at least 53 cases of Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) buses completely or partially catching fire, BELPOL writes. According to the organization, instead of addressing the causes of the fires, the manufacturer decided to test a new automatic fire suppression system.

The authors obtained MAZ’s internal documentation on the free-of-charge delivery of the device for testing, as well as a video recording of the system being tested. The device in question is the “UASPTT 27-4-2,” manufactured by Avangardspetsmontazhplus, LLC.

In 2024, BELPOL wrote about an internal MAZ investigation that identified the main factors contributing to the fires. However, according to the organization, the new system does not eliminate the causes of fires but is designed to put them out.

The authors studied the system’s technical documentation and traced its similarities to the UKA 12.5 family of automatic systems previously used in similar fire suppression systems.

“The buses supplied to Russia are equipped with a fire suppression system at the request of the customer—that is, the Russian side— «Epotos» manufactured in Russia, which has proven ineffective in practice,” they claim.

“In other words, OJSC «MAZ» is solving the problem of its leaky roof not by fixing the leak, but by upgrading the basin that collects rainwater,” the organization concluded.