80 km from Moscow: British intel reveals damage from ammo blasts at strategic Russian warehouse
This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense on social media platform X, citing intelligence data, Ukrinform reports.
It is noted that on April 22, numerous explosions of large ammunition occurred at the ammunition arsenal of the 51st Rocket and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Federation near Kirzhach in the Vladimir region, about 80 km east of Moscow. According to the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, the depot stored about 105,000 tons of various munitions, including ballistic missiles, air-launched and air defense missiles, artillery shells, and small arms ammunition, intended for use in combat operations at the front.
Satellite images released by the intelligence show that a significant part of the warehouse - more than 1 square kilometer - was damaged by the detonation, indicating massive losses at a key strategic depot that supports Russia's war in Ukraine.
In addition, unstable or unexploded ammunition damaged by the fire could have been outside the facility, potentially posing a danger to civilians, the analysis said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the explosions were caused by a fire that detonated the ammunition. However, British intelligence believes that it was probably due to careless handling of weapons and poor storage of ammunition.
“This follows a long-standing trend of Russia's inability to safely and properly handle its own ammunition,” the intelligence service said.
The analysis notes that the explosions at the arsenal probably led to the largest loss of ammunition caused by Russia's own actions since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, explosions occurred at the arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) of the Russian Defense Ministry in the Kirzhach district of the Vladimir region.
