Drone attack sparks devastating fire at Russian missile depot

Russians are battling a fire at ammunition depots in the city of Toropets in the western part of the country. Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation associated with the Ukrainian authorities, reported that Grad, S-300, and S-400 rockets, as well as ballistic missiles such as Iskander and KN-23 delivered from North Korea, were stored there.

"In a large depot in the city of Toropets in the Tver region, the Russians stored Grad, S-300, and S-400 rockets, as well as manufactured Iskander ballistic missiles; they also began accumulating stocks of North Korean KN-23 there," Kovalenko wrote on Telegram shortly after the fire broke out.

The Centre for Countering Disinformation operates under Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council.

Earlier, Igor Rudenia, the head of the Tver region authorities, reported that a drone attack from Ukraine caused the fire. As a result of the fire, the missiles stored in the warehouse began to explode. Videos and photos showing explosions and flames appeared on the internet. Rudenia also reported the evacuation of residents from the city area where the firefighting operation was underway.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that on the night of September 17 to 18, Russian air defense forces destroyed 54 Ukrainian drones. The ministry stated that half of the drones were shot down over the Kursk region and the rest over the regions of Bryansk (16 drones), Smolensk (7 drones), Belgorod (3 drones), and Orel (1 drone).

The fire at the ammunition depots in Toropets could have painful consequences for the Russians. It is unclear how quickly they will be able to extinguish the flames and how large their stockpiles are. However, Andriy Kovalenko listed several types of missiles, including those used during the war in Ukraine.

KN-23 missiles are short-range ballistic missiles North Korea has supplied to Russia since the beginning of this year. They have high destructive power. They measure 7.6 meters in length and 0.95 meters in diameter. They weigh 3,400 kilograms, with about 500 kilograms allocated to warheads. Their range is estimated to be around 600 kilometers.

In terms of range, the KN-23 slightly outperforms the Russian Iskanders. The Russians have Iskander-M, Iskander-K, and Iskander-E systems in their arsenal. Iskander-M is used for attacks on Ukraine. These ballistic missiles are launched from launchers and measure over 7 meters long and about 0.91 meters in diameter. Their range is around 500 kilometers, but their speed is problematic for Ukrainian air defense - they accelerate to hypersonic speeds (between 7,349 km/h and 8,598 km/h).