Images from the Planet Labs satellite show the aftermath of a fire that was still raging at the missile arsenal in Toropets on September 19 at 3:30 p.m. Kyiv time, as well as craters 50 to 90 meters in diameter from the exploding shells.
Points of attention
- Satellite images reveal the damage caused by the Ukrainian drone strike on the missile arsenal in Toropets.
- Analysts have identified potential targets for future strikes in Russian arsenals, including the 23rd, 13th, 51st, 73rd, 67th, and 68th arsenals.
- The destruction of the Toropets missile arsenal presents new opportunities for further attacks on Russian military targets.
- Details regarding the locations, sizes, and importance of various Russian arsenals that could be potential targets for Ukraine.
- The recent strike on the Toropets missile arsenal highlights the ongoing tensions and military actions in the region.
Fresh satellite images of the consequences of the strike on the arsenal in Toropets have appeared
This is the result of an attack by Ukrainian drones on the headquarters of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. It is located on the territory of military unit No. 11777 in the city of Toropets, Tver region.
Satellite images from September 19 of the 107th GRAU arsenal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation testify that the Ukrainian long-range attack on this object on September 18 was more than successful.
And on the public Sentinel satellite photos from ESA, many warehouses, where there were several dozen tons of ammunition, are now just holes, others have collapsed or have other damages. And despite the fact that the satellite image itself does not differ in quality, this is the situation when the eruptions are visible from space.
And it is in the ranks of the new shelters, which, according to the enemy's declarations, met all the strictest requirements, that huge rips are visible.
The destruction was no less significant in the old part of the warehouse, where the shelters were simpler and older. And it is worth adding that the light haze over the Russian arsenal is not clouds, but smoke, because there is still a fire, albeit not so large-scale.
We will remind that, according to estimates, the 107th arsenal stored about 30,000 tons of ammunition, including ballistic missiles. It is also worth adding that there are at least six main arsenals of the GRAU of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation within an exclusively conditional range of up to 750 km.
What Russian arsenals can Ukraine strike?
Defense Express analysts compiled a list of "fat" targets for the Defense Forces of Ukraine in Russia.
The 23rd GRAU arsenal is located only 16 km south of the already destroyed 107th arsenal near the city of Toropets. This composition is about half as small.
Further north, in the Novgorod region, near the village of Kotovo, there is the 13th arsenal of the Russian Armed Forces. It is about 680 km from the border with Ukraine, that is, 200 km further than Toropets. This warehouse has a total area of about 3 sq km.
Although a closer, but rather difficult target, due to the density of air defense, may be the 51st arsenal of GRAU to the east of Moscow near the city of Kirzhach, Vladimir region. This is a rather large warehouse with a total area of about 3.5 square kilometers. The border with Ukraine is about 530 km.
Another arsenal of GRAU in the Volodymyr region — the 73rd — near the villages of Ivanovo, Krutovo and Eseno, which can be considered the largest, because it occupies an area of about 7 square kilometers. It also underwent global repair and modernization between 2018 and 2021, just like the 107th arsenal. This may indicate that it stores not only a lot of ammunition, but also quite expensive products. It is located 650 km from the border with Ukraine.
One of the closest can be considered the 67th arsenal of GRAU near the city of Karachev, Bryansk region — 114 km. It is located close to a population of 20,000. At the same time, as of 2021, detailed satellite images show that part of the ammunition in this warehouse with a total area of about 3.5 square kilometers was stored in the open air.
The most distant, about 700 km from the front line, is the 68th GRAU arsenal near the city of Mozdok in North Ossetia. This is another updated warehouse with an area of 2.2 sq km.
