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Toropets depot explosions

Coordinates: 56°30′0″N 31°43′15″E / 56.50000°N 31.72083°E / 56.50000; 31.72083
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2024 Toropets depot explosions
Part of the Ukrainian attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
NASA FIRMS imagery of the Toropets depot fires from 2024-09-17 to 2024-09-21 with first detection at 2024-09-17 23:58:00 (UTC)
Map
DateSeptember 17–18, 2024 (2024-09-17 – 2024-09-18)
Time3:56 (UTC+03:00)
VenueToropets weapon depot
LocationToropets, Tver Oblast, Russia
Coordinates56°30′0″N 31°43′15″E / 56.50000°N 31.72083°E / 56.50000; 31.72083
TypeWeapons storage explosion
CauseUkrainian drone attack[1]
PerpetratorSecurity Service of Ukraine
Deaths0 (per Russia)[2]
Non-fatal injuries13 (per Russia)[3]

On the night of 17–18 September 2024, during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) 107th arsenal ammunition depot in Toropets, causing a massive series of explosions and fires and shattering of windows across nearby towns.[4][5] The main explosion caused a 82m-wide crater[6] and a seismic wave of magnitude 2.5~2.8 on 18 September, 3:56 am, local time.[1][7] Such supply chain disruption could reduce Russia's firepower in its war effort in Ukraine.[8]

Context

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Main article: Russian invasion of Ukraine

Following more than two years of war, Ukraine recently moved the conflict into Russian territories. On 6 August 2024, Ukraine launched an incursion into Kursk Oblast. Ukraine also argues with allies providing weapons for longer range munitions and the right to use them deeper into Russia[9][1] with the purposes of attacking legitimate military targets used by Russia to attack Ukraine and putting political pressure on Putin.[10] Claimed by Ukraine[1] and led with domestically-manufactured airborne drones, this strike would aim at normalizing such in-depth attacks in order to ease allies' stances.[9] Ukrainian representatives stated that more attacks of this kind are expected in order to “methodically” reduce Russia’s missile potential.[1]

Target

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Euronews reported that the military ammunition depot had been renovated in 2018, and that the Russian deputy defense minister claimed that "the site met the 'highest international standards' and could defend against weapons such as missiles and 'even a small nuclear attack.'"[11] Euronews also reported that approximately 30,000 tonnes of military munitions were stored at the facility, including "fuel tanks, as well as missiles intended for Iskander and Tochka-U missile systems, guided aerial bombs and assorted artillery ammunition... Russia had also started to store North Korean munitions in Toropets."[12] NBC reported that KAB missiles were also stored at the facility.[11]

Depot contents

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Attack

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Ukrainska Pravda cited Ukraine's Security Service, Defence Intelligence and Special Operations Force as the author of the nighttime attack.[9] According to Russian Defense Ministry, all of the 54 Ukrainian drones aimed at western Russian regions were successfully intercepted.[9] According to Igor Rudenya, governor of Tver Oblast, debris of a successfully downed Ukrainian drone caused the fire, igniting the ammunition depot and the series of explosions.[9][5][14][15][16]

On 22 September 2024, media reported that Ukrainian drones had struck a second ammunition depot located south of Toropets, again causing a large fire.[17]

Explosions

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NASA FIRMS imagery from 21 September 2024 showing the newer, extensive fire south of Toropets with first detections at 00:18:00 (UTC) and the still ongoing fire from the first attack east of Toropets

The attack resulted in multiple secondary explosions, the largest being an earthquake-magnitude blast.[18] The blast wave spread up to 200 mi (320 km) and was estimated to have a TNT equivalent of either 200 to 240 tons or 1.3 to 1.8 kilotons of high-explosives.[2][18][11] Resulting fires were detected from NASA's fire monitoring systems as covering an area of approximately 13 km2 (5 sq mi).[18]

Consequences

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Igor Rudenya, governor of Tver Oblast, announced a partial evacuation of the town but that there were no serious injuries nor fatalities.[5][14][15][16] Russian officials later reported that 13 people had been injured.[3]

However, according to pro–Russian milblogger Anastasia Kashevarova, hundreds of Russians may have been killed in the strike, with the facility's utility block alone accommodating 200 people.[19]

On 20 September, Colonel Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center, estimated that the strike had caused 30,000 tonnes of munitions to explode, the size of which he equated to 750,000 shells, claiming that the strike might have destroyed two to three months of Russia's ammunition supply. The depot purportedly stored not only artillery shells, but also Iskander missiles, Tochka-U ballistic missiles and glide bombs and it is unclear if his bomb damage assessment includes both missiles and artillery ammunition.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kennedy, Niamh (18 September 2024). "Ukraine claims to have destroyed large Russian ammunition depot in overnight drone attack". CNN. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b Papachristou, Lucy; Kelly, Lidia (18 September 2024). "Ukrainian drone attack triggers earthquake-sized blast at arsenal in Russia's Tver region". Reuters. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b Lukiv, Jaroslav. "Ukraine drone attack in Russia sparks fire". BBC. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  4. ^ Lukiv, Jaroslav. "Russia Tver region orders evacuation after Ukrainian drone attack". BBC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Drone Attack On Arms Depot Forces Evacuations In Russia's Tver Region". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  6. ^ Reporter, Maya Mehrara Live News (24 September 2024). "Satellite photos reveal 270ft crater, major damage to Russian ammo depots". Newsweek. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Mag. 2.8 quake - Toropetskiy, Tver', 33 km northwest of Toropets, Tver' , Russia, on Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024, at 05:56 pm (Moscow time)". VolcanoDiscovery.com. 18 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Ukraine hits ammunition depots with domestic weapons in an attempt to disrupt Russia's logistics". The Kyiv Independent. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Sauer, Pjotr (18 September 2024). "Blast from attack on Russian arms depot picked up on earthquake monitors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Ukraine would have military reason for striking deeper into Russia, NATO official says". Reuters. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Smith, Alexander (18 September 2024). "Ukrainian drone attack triggers huge blasts at Russian ammo depot". NBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "What was stored at the Russian arms depot in Tver region struck by Ukraine's drones?". Euronews. 18 September 2024.
  13. ^ a b Axe, David. "Russia May Have Stockpiled Its Best Missiles At An Arsenal In The Town Of Toropets. Which Is Why Ukraine Just Blew It Up With 100 Drones". Forbes. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Schools in one municipality of Russia's Tver region withdraw services after drone attack". TASS. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b "The town of Toropets in the Tver region was attacked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The evacuation of residents has been announced". Oreanda News. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Tver region governor says no serious injuries in drone attack on Toropets". TASS. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Ukraine launches second drone attack on Russian arms depots in a week, as Zelenskyy prepares to take 'victory plan' to the US". abc.net.au. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Cole, Brendan (19 September 2024). "Russian Ammo Depot 1.8 Kiloton Blast May Be 'Biggest Single Event' in War". Newsweek. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Hardly Anything Left Of The Bodies': Hundreds Of Russian Soldiers Could Have Been Eliminated In Toropets". Charter 97. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  20. ^ Evans, Angelica; Harward, Christina; Bailey, Riley; Gasparyan, Davit; Kagan, Frederick W. (22 September 2024). "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 22, 2024". understandingwar.org. Retrieved 26 September 2024.


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