A major Russian oil tanker burst into flames in the Baltic Sea port of Kronstadt.
The Arctica was ablaze adjacent to the naval port with initial reports saying two cabins had ignited.
Multiple fire appliances rushed to the scene where the Arctica was moored for repairs in Kronstadt.
It is the latest mystery inferno at key Russian facilities in recent days amid suspicions of sabotage attacks on Putin’s assets.
A blaze hit Vladimir Putin ’s only aircraft carrier on 22 December in Arctic port Murmansk while the vessel was under repairs from an earlier inferno.
The fire is likely to further delay the return of the Admiral Kuznetsov to active deployment, a vessel that Putin wants to be involved in his war in Ukraine.
An emergencies ministry statement said: "There was a localised smoke plume, which was detected in a timely manner.”
“The ship's emergency crew and response services that arrived at the scene eliminated the consequences of the incident.”
Alexei Rakhmanov, general director of Russia's United Shipbuilding Company, said the fire was "a minor incident during repair work".
"The fire has been extinguished. All the relevant fire systems worked properly. There is no damage or casualties.”
Yet it is another blow to Putin, who wanted to see the vessel afloat again to potentially use it during the conflict in Ukraine which he unleashed ten months ago.
An earlier blaze engulfed Admiral Kuznetsov in 2019 during a refit.
The vessel is his largest naval ship and crucial to supporting his nuclear capability.
In May, with the Ukraine war underway, a source said: "The task now is to set it afloat before the [winter] ice forms, otherwise everything will be delayed until 2023.”
But this deadline was missed and it is now unclear when the Kuznetsov will be seaworthy.
Previously the giant vessel has been deployed in the Mediterranean and its availability could give Putin more options in the Ukrainian war.
Key energy pipelines and shopping malls have been hit, too.
Andrey Kononov, acting head of the Kronstadt district, said there had been no casualties in the Arctica fire.
