LONDON, Sept 18 (Askume) – A major Ukrainian drone strike against Russia caused a seismic-sized explosion at a major weapons depot in the Tver region and destroyed a nearby town, according to war bloggers and some media reports.
Unconfirmed videos and photos on social media showed a giant fireball rising into the night sky about 380 kilometers from Moscow. Several volcanic eruptions could be seen across a lake (240 miles) to the west.
NASA satellites observed a strong heat source emanating from an area of about 14 square kilometers (5 square miles) at the site in the morning, and seismic monitoring stations detected sensors reporting a small earthquake in the area .
“The enemy attacked an ammunition depot in the Toropets area,” said Yuri Podolnyaka, a Ukrainian-born pro-Russian military blogger.
“Anything that can burn there is already burning (and exploding).”
Russian state media earlier reported that a large stockpile of conventional weapons was found at the blast site. State media, which is subject to military censorship laws, remained silent on coverage on Wednesday.
Tver Governor Igor Rudnia said a Ukrainian drone had been shot down, the fire had been extinguished and some residents were being evacuated. He did not say what was burning.
One woman told Askume her family had been evacuated from Toropets.
“The explosion also caused a fire,” said the woman, who gave her name only as Irina.
Rudnia later said that by noon local time (0900 GMT) the situation in Toropek had stabilised and evacuated residents could return. He said the fire was under control and there were no reports of casualties.
A source in Ukraine’s SBU state security service told Askume the drone attack destroyed a warehouse storing missiles, guided bombs and artillery ammunition . There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian government.
As Russian troops advanced into eastern Ukraine , Russia and Ukraine reported dozens of enemy drone attacks along their borders overnight.
Big Bang
George William Herbert of the Middlebury School of International Studies in Monterey, California, said the size of the main explosion shown in unconfirmed social media videos was consistent with the detonation of 200-240 tons of high explosives.
The Toropet chat room on Russian social media site VK was flooded with messages of support from other parts of the country and offers of assistance to those fleeing the city.
Someone asked if the building at a specific address still exists.
One woman wrote: “Guys, does anyone know what happened to Kudino village??? They told me our house is gone.”
Another woman replied, “It’s bad over there.” Kudino is a village 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) northeast of Toropek.
Some war bloggers have questioned how drones could cause such massive explosions in a place considered highly secure.
Russia is building an arsenal to store missiles, ammunition and explosives in the 1,000-year-old town of Toropets, which has a population of just over 11,000, according to a 2018 RIA Novosti state news agency report.
The facility could protect weapons from missiles and even small nuclear strikes, then-Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov told RIA Novosti in 2018. Bulgakov was arrested earlier this year on corruption charges, which he denies.
RIA Novosti quoted Bulgakov as saying at the time: “It (the concrete facility) ensures their reliable and safe storage, protecting them from the destructive elements of air and missile strikes and even nuclear explosions.”
Some Russians expressed their anger in chat groups.
One woman posted, “Why weren’t the ammunition buried in the ground?! What are you doing??? In Kudino, the house was blown up! Why is the forest burning and there is no one there… What is this like? Negligence?”
Russia reported its air defense forces destroyed 54 drones launched against five Russian regions overnight, but did not mention Tver. Ukraine said it shot down 46 of the 52 drones launched by Moscow overnight , while Russia used three guided aerial missiles that missed their targets.
