A massive explosion has rocked the Tver region in western Russia after Ukrainian drones used long-range strikes to target a sprawling ammunition depot there. Videos and photos from the scene on social media show an initial explosion, with a very large fireball, followed by a large visible shock wave, further explosions nearby, and then several minutes of secondary explosions that lit up the night sky. Fires were still burning the day after the attacks.
The force of the explosion was so great that an earthquake measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale was reported in the Tver region.
Earthquakes in
Toropets are comparable in size to nuclear tests, meaning that hundreds or even thousands of tons of explosives are detonated at once. photo.twitter.com/a6qBBcOYwC
—
MilitaryNewsUA
(@front_ukrainian) September 18, 2024
The target was a huge munitions dump in the town of Toropets, about 236 miles northwest of Moscow and about 300 miles north of the Ukrainian border. The town has a population of about 13,000.
A source in Ukraine’s state security service SBU confirmed that Ukrainian drones had caused an “extremely powerful detonation”, The Telegraph reportedMeanwhile, Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, recognized the attack, sharing a video of the explosion and commenting: “The demilitarization of Russia is necessary to put an end to terror.”
Meanwhile, Igor Rudenya, the governor of the Tver region, ordered a partial evacuation of the population of Toropets and described a “massive” Ukrainian drone attack.
Rudenya said emergency services in Toropets were trying to “localize” a fire that he said was caused by falling drone debris. He did not say whether there were any casualties or how many people were evacuated, although there were reports that they are taken by buses to Zapadnaya Dvina in the same region.
The governor of the Tver region issued an official statement after the strike at the Toropets arsenal. Amid the sound of exploding shells, he assured the public that “the work is proceeding according to plan,” although he conspicuously avoided mentioning the target of the… photo.twitter.com/7kTJpt3zsR
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) September 18, 2024
According to Russian state media, regional schools and kindergartens will remain closed today, and there are also reports of power outages in parts of the Tver region.
On Russian social media channels, residents of Toropets posted photos and videos showing blown-out windows and scorch marks on walls. Others described the complete devastation in local online chat groups, describing villages closer to the ammunition storage site that had been completely destroyed.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the country was attacked by dozens of Ukrainian drones last night, with 54 of them reportedly shot down over various Russian regions. However, the ministry did not name the Tver region, naming only Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Smolensk and Belgorod.
Ukrainian sources cited by the AFP And Reuters news agencies confirmed that an ammunition storage facility had been hit. The military facility was said to contain multiple ballistic missile storage facilities, Grad rocketsartillery shells and other explosives, as well as fuel tanks. Other reports state that guided bombs, artillery and S-400 air defense missiles were also stored there.
Earlier reports describe a munitions storage facility built in Toropets in 2018 for missiles, ammunition and explosives. According to Russian General Dmitry Bulgakov, then deputy defense minister, the facility met “the highest international standards.”
“The arsenal in Toropets allows us to protect missile and ammunition reserves from external influences and ensure their safety and fire and explosion safety,” Bulgakov said at the time.
The site covers an area of approximately five square kilometers, with a perimeter of approximately eleven kilometers.
The Toropets ammunition depot, Tver Region, Russia, is or was an absolute entity in terms of size, with an area of over 5 square kilometers (2 square miles) and a perimeter of over 12 kilometers (7.5 miles). Now it is a Christmas tree on NASA FIRMS maps.… photo.twitter.com/E0U1yi7PNP
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) September 18, 2024
Interestingly, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, said on Telegram that the facility in Toropets was also used for storing ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea to Russia.
Although this has not been independently verified, North Korean short-range ballistic missiles have been in use by Russia since at least December 30, 2023. Although they represent a very small portion of the weapons used in Russian attacks There has long been concern about Ukraine blossoming military relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, recently top of the list of countries that provided the most military support to Russia, saying that “North Korea would come first, then there would be no one left for a long time, and then everyone else.”
According to Russian reports, Toropets was attacked before, in May and June of this year.
As Kiev’s Western partners continue to refuse to deploy the long-range weapons they have supplied to strike targets deep inside Russia, Ukraine continues to use domestically produced drones for one-way strikes.
The developing capabilities of its drones for one-way strikes have enabled Ukraine to strike targets at distances of more than 1,000 miles in the past.
While Ukrainian long-range strikes against targets within Russia’s borders have played an important morale-boosting role, the drone strike campaign is increasingly focused on key energy infrastructure and military targets. With that in mind, the apparent level of destruction in Toropets should also have a positive impact on Ukraine, both on the battlefield and in defending against Russian long-range attacks.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
