A massive explosion and fire rocked the town of Toropets in Russia’s Tver region on the night of September 18, after what sources in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) described as a successful drone attack on a large missile and ammunition storage facility.
The strike led to partial evacuations and a significant fire, causing extensive damage to the Russian military arsenal.
While Russian authorities have not confirmed the destruction of the arsenal, local officials acknowledged a fire resulting from “the fall of UAV debris” during an attempted interception by air defense forces. Tver Governor Igor Rudenya stated that the fire occurred as a result of drone fragments falling, but did not clarify which facility was targeted.
The attack reportedly caused seismic tremors with magnitudes reaching 2.8, according to Volcanodiscovery. The first tremors were recorded around 03:56 Moscow time, with a total of 17 seismic events documented in Toropets in the 24 hours following the explosion.
Epic detonations at a Russian munitions depot in the Tver region following yet another Ukrainian drone attack.
Russian authorities have announced “partial evacuation” of the city of Toropets.
The depot can have up to around 30,000 tons of munitions in store. pic.twitter.com/z2fC3A2Q10
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) September 18, 2024
Satellite imagery from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) showed that the fire continued to burn throughout the day, with evidence of ongoing detonations at the site. According to FIRMS, the entire Russian military base in Toropets remains engulfed in flames.
The targeted missile arsenal had undergone significant modernization in 2018. At the time, Russian Deputy Defense Minister General Dmitry Bulgakov boasted that the facility adhered to the highest international standards, capable of storing up to 240 tons of missiles, explosives, and ammunition in secure, fire-resistant shelters.
While Russian officials remain tight-lipped about the full extent of the damage, satellite and seismic data point to significant destruction at the site. The ongoing detonations suggest that the fire has not yet been contained, further complicating efforts to secure the area and assess the full impact of the attack.