Another Russian Arms Depot Burns After Ukrainian Drone Strike

A fire tore through a Russian arms depot deep inside the country, triggering explosions and the closure of a major highway, after Ukraine launched over 100 drones at Russia and occupied Crimea overnight, according to Russian news reports and the Defense Ministry, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Unverified images circulating on Telegram showed a large fireball rising into the night sky, with dozens of smoke trails from detonations. I Photo:

The depot appeared to be located just kilometers from another site struck by Ukrainian drones earlier in the week, which injured 13 people and caused a massive fire.

On Saturday, authorities closed a 100-kilometer (62-mile) stretch of highway and evacuated passengers from a nearby rail station after the fire led to a series of explosions.

Posts on local Telegram channels reported that a missile depot near the town of Toropets, in Russia’s Tver region—about 380 kilometers (240 miles) northwest of Moscow and approximately 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Ukrainian border—was struck.

Unverified images circulating on Telegram showed a large fireball rising into the night sky, with dozens of smoke trails from detonations.

In a separate attack, an ammunition depot and missile arsenal in southwestern Russia’s Krasnodar region also caught fire, prompting evacuations after a series of blasts.

Videos on social media displayed bright orange clouds on the horizon, accompanied by continuous thuds from the explosions.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed early Saturday that its forces had shot down 101 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and occupied Crimea overnight. There were no immediate reports of casualties.