One of the most significant assaults on Moscow’s military reserves since the start of the conflict resulted from a Ukrainian drone strike on a sizable Russian ammunition depot, as seismic monitoring systems recorded a detonation.
Pro-Russian military blogs report that Ukraine has located an armoury containing missiles, ammunition, and explosives in Toropets, a mediaeval town situated roughly 230 miles west of Moscow and nearly 300 miles north of Kiev.
Social media posts featured images of a sizable fireball rising into the night sky and explosive sounds echoing across a lake close to the Belarusian border.
The operation constituted a strategic initiative within a Ukrainian drone campaign aimed at Russian oil refineries, power plants, airfields, and military factories, highlighting Kyiv’s enhanced long-range operational capabilities.
Seismic monitoring stations recorded what appeared to be a low-magnitude earthquake in the vicinity.
According to Ukrainian Pravda, the Special Operations Force, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, and the Ukrainian security service carried out the operation. An anonymous official from the Ukrainian security service reported that the weapons depot contained long-range Russian missiles and KABs, which are guided bombs.
The Russian defence ministry reported that 54 Ukrainian drones were aimed at five western districts of Russia during the night, with all drones being neutralised.
In an implicit acknowledgement of the strike, Igor Rudenya, the governor of Russia’s Tver region, indicated that firefighting efforts were underway to manage a fire and that certain residents were being evacuated from their residences.
Rudenya indicated that debris from a compromised Ukrainian drone initiated a fire, yet did not clarify the specific materials involved in the combustion.
Official media from Russia reported the closure of nurseries and schools in the Zapadnodvinsk district, adjacent to the Toropetsk district in the Tver region, on Wednesday.
Certain pro-war Russian war bloggers expressed significant discontent regarding the substantial explosions caused by Ukrainian drones at a facility that was anticipated to have robust security measures in place.
Anastasia Kashevarova, a prominent blogger with significant influence, sharply criticised the Russian defence ministry and authorities in a Telegram comment for permitting Ukraine to “blow up a massive military depot”.
She enquired, “What is the maximum number of errors they can commit?” The ongoing military operation has now entered its third year, yet the irrationality continues unabated.
The utilisation of domestically manufactured drones by Ukraine aligns with Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s ongoing initiatives to advocate for the deployment of western-supplied missiles against Russian airbases and munitions depots, aimed at mitigating Moscow’s persistent progress in eastern Ukraine.
Discussions are underway among Kyiv’s allies, notably the US and Britain, regarding the potential authorisation for Kyiv to conduct strikes deep within Russian territory utilising missiles such as the long-range US Atacms and the Anglo-French Storm Shadows, referred to as Scalp in France.
The Kremlin has indicated that such an action would suggest direct Western engagement in the conflict, leading to potential repercussions. Some officials associated with Vladimir Putin have hinted that Moscow might consider a nuclear response.
Since the beginning of this year, Russian forces have demonstrated a consistent upward trajectory in eastern Ukraine, progressively closing in on the strategic city of Pokrovsk.
On Wednesday, Russia’s military reported the capture of the town of Ukrainsk, strategically positioned between Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, both of which are significant Ukrainian military strongholds.