Ukrainian drone strikes spark massive explosions in Russian depot

Sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed to AFP that Ukrainian drones destroyed an ammunition depot in the Tver region in western Russia. The strength of the explosions was so great that they were visible in NASA satellite images and caused a minor earthquake.

The depot in Toropets, where ballistic missiles and guided bombs, among other things, were stored, was destroyed in a drone attack. Social media was flooded with numerous videos and photos showing explosions, fire, and plumes of smoke.

NASA recorded the massive explosion, and tools measuring tectonic plate movements indicated tremors with a magnitude of 2.8 on the Richter scale. These are "tremors felt by a small group of people," and their occurrence confirms that the Russians were storing large stockpiles of weapons and ammunition in these depots.

The Ukrainian side believed this attack would negatively impact Russia's offensive capabilities.

Local Russian authorities decided to evacuate the districts of Toropets located near the military site. Authorities in the Zapadnodvinsky district, bordering the Toropetsky district, also announced power outages and a switch to online mode in schools and kindergartens.

According to information provided by the British newspaper "The Telegraph," the destroyed ammunition depot could have contained, among other things, North Korean missiles and Russian-guided bombs.

Most likely, this refers to the KN-23 ballistic missiles, which North Korea has supplied to Russia since the beginning of this year. Each measures about 8 metres in length and 1 metre in diameter. It stands out with a weight of 3,400 kilograms, of which about 500 kilograms are allocated to the warhead. Some sources indicate that the destroyed depots also contained similar missiles manufactured in Russia for the Iskander systems. They have very similar dimensions (over 7 metres in length and about 1 metre in diameter).