LONDON, September 20 ------ A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia triggered an earthquake-sized blast at a major arsenal in the Tver region, forcing the evacuation of a nearby town, war bloggers and some media reported. Unverified video and images on social media showed a huge ball of flame blasting into the night sky and multiple detonations thundering across a lake about 380 km (240 miles) west of Moscow.
NASA satellites picked up intense heat sources emanating from an area of about 14 square kilometers (5 square miles) at the site in the early hours and earthquake monitoring stations noted what sensors thought was a small earthquake. "The enemy hit an ammunition depot in the area of Toropets," said Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger. "Everything that can burn is already burning there (and exploding)."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, hailed the outcome of the attack without referring specifically to the target. "A very important result was achieved last night on Russian territory and such actions weaken the enemy," Zelensky said. "I thank everyone involved. Such precision is truly inspiring." He thanked the SBU security service, the HUR intelligence service and the Special Operations Forces.
A source in Ukraine's SBU state security service had earlier told Reuters the drone attack had destroyed a warehouse storing missiles, guided bombs and artillery ammunition. Russian state media have in the past reported that a major arsenal for conventional weapons was located at the site of the blasts. State media, now subject to military censorship laws, was muted in its reporting on Wednesday.
Igor Rudenya, governor of the Tver region, said that Ukrainian drones had been shot down, that a fire had broken out and that some residents were being evacuated. He did not say what was burning. One woman told Reuters that members of her family had been evacuated from Toropets. "A fire started with explosions," said the woman, who identified herself only as Irina. Rudenya later said the situation in Toropets was stable as of midday local time (0900 GMT) and that evacuated residents could return. The fire had been put out and there were no recorded fatalities, he said. Russia and Ukraine each reported dozens of enemy drone attacks on their territory overnight, with Russian forces advancing in eastern Ukraine.
Source: reuters.com
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