Ukraine Alludes to Attack on Major Russian Ammunition Depot

Ukrainian forces had reportedly attacked a large Russian ammunition storage site in the Kirzhach district of Russia’s Vladimir region.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council, reported the explosion and said on Telegram that the site belonged to the 51st arsenal of Russia’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU).

Kovalenko said the depot is situated more than 600 kilometers (375 miles) from Ukraine, adding that the arsenal contained more than 100,000 tons of artillery ammunition, ballistic and air defense missiles and MLRS rockets.

Following reports from local residents of a series of explosions at the site, Alexander Avdeyev, the Vladimir regional governor, confirmed the incident but warned journalists and citizens they would be fined for disseminating information about the situation “before the receipt of verified official data.”

Meanwhile, according to the Russian Telegram channel MASH, a state of emergency was declared, with the main road running from the city of Kirzhach to Moscow closed. The nearby villages of Barsovo, Khrapki, Gribanovo, Melezhi and Mirny were evacuated, and emergency accommodations were provided in schools in Kirzhach.

While Ukrainian authorities gave few details on the cause of the explosions, a number of reports suggested that at least four drones were spotted overhead by residents. However, this was contradicted by the Z-milblogger “Arkhangel Spetsnaz,” who said the cause of the explosions was “detonation of ammunition during loading.”

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Local media reported that detonations occurred for some time, with a thick column of smoke visible above the explosion site. 

Incidentally, a similar incident at the depot in the summer of 2022 in which four people died was also put down to an ammunition handling mishap by Russian authorities, according to the state news agency TASS.