Fire at Russian ammo depot forces mass evacuation in Tver region
The Russians are battling a fire at ammunition depots in Toropets, which is west of the country. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian government-affiliated Centre for Counteracting Disinformation, reported that Grad, S-300, and S-400 missiles, as well as ballistic missiles—Iskander and KN-23 delivered from North Korea—were stored there.
"In a large depot in the city of Toropets in the Tver region, the Russians stored Grad, S-300, and S-400 missiles, as well as Iskander ballistic missiles; they also began accumulating North Korean KN-23 supplies there," Kovalenko wrote on Telegram shortly after the fire broke out.
Fire in Russian ammunition depots
The Centre for Counteracting Disinformation operates under the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
Earlier, Igor Rudenia, head of the Tver region authorities, reported that a drone attack from Ukraine caused the fire. As a result of the fire, the missiles stored in the warehouse began to explode. Videos and photos showing the explosions and flames appeared on the internet. Rudenia also reported the introduction of an evacuation of the population from the city area where firefighting efforts were underway.
Explosions in the Tver region. Russians lose valuable missiles
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that on the night of 17 to 18 September, Russian air defence forces destroyed 54 Ukrainian drones. The Ministry stated that half of the drones were shot down over the Kursk region, with the remaining drones intercepted over the Bryansk (16 drones), Smolensk (7 drones), Belgorod (3 drones), and Oryol (1 drone) regions.
The fire in the ammunition depots in the city of Toropets could prove highly damaging for the Russians. It remains unclear how quickly they will be able to extinguish the flames. The size of the stockpile stored there is also unknown. Andriy Kovalenko mentioned several types of missiles, including those used during the war in Ukraine.
KN-23 missiles are short-range ballistic missiles that North Korea has supplied to Russia since the beginning of this year. They are characterised by significant destructive power. They measure 25 feet in length and 3 feet in diameter and weigh 3.3 tonnes, with about 0.5 tonnes accounted for by the warheads. Their range is estimated to be around 373 miles.
Regarding range, KN-23 missiles perform slightly better than Russian Iskander missiles. The Russians have Iskander-M, Iskander-K, and Iskander-E systems in their arsenal. Iskander-M missiles are being used for attacks on Ukraine. These ballistic missiles, over 23 feet long and about 3 feet in diameter, are launched from mobile launchers. In this case, the range is about 311 miles. However, the problem for Ukrainian air defences is their speed—they accelerate to hypersonic speeds (between 6 and 7 Ma, or roughly 4571 mph to about 5344 mph).
