A composite satellite image shows the Tikhoretsk ammunition dept on September 14 (left) and September 22 (right) after it was struck.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
Ukraine has carried out a string of attacks on Russian ammunition depots over the past week.Newly released satellite images taken before and after the attacks reveal extensive damage at three sites.The photos show scorched earth, destroyed buildings, and huge blast craters.
Newly published satellite imagery shows extensive damage at three large ammunition depots inside Russia in the aftermath of multiple Ukrainian attacks over the past week.
Ukraine said it struck three arsenals — one last week and two over the weekend — that housed Russian weaponry, including ballistic missiles, glide bombs, and artillery ammunition.
The recent attacks, which targeted two facilities in western Russia and a third in the south of the country, mark Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes in what has been a devastating campaign against key sites supporting Moscow’s war machine.
Before-and-after satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies highlight the significant damage at the three ammo depots, including buildings that have been obliterated, huge blast craters, knocked-down trees, scorched earth, and destroyed rail cars.
Ukraine’s first in the recent string of attacks occurred overnight on September 17 and targeted a facility in Toropets in Russia’s western Tver region with long-range drones.
Ammunition storage buildings and a rail line in Toropets on September 7.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
A large crater, downed trees, and destroyed rail cars on September 22 after the Toropets attack.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine told Business Insider that a large warehouse in Toropets where Russian munitions were stored was “literally wiped off the face of the earth” in the attack. The source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operations.
Britain’s defense ministry said the strikes triggered an explosion that was equivalent in strength to a mild earthquake, registering 2.7 on the Richter scale. It said Russia did a poor job storing its munitions and left them vulnerable to attacks, causing successive detonations and massive ordnance losses.
A crane offloading material from rail cars in Toropets on September 7.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
Destroyed ammunition and damaged rail cars in Toropets on September 22.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
Toropets is located over 300 miles from the Ukrainian border, underscoring the depth of the strikes.
A few days after that attack, on Saturday, the Ukrainian military said it hit another arsenal in the Tver region — this one at Oktyabrsky.
Ammunition storage buildings at Oktyabrsky on September 18.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
Destroyed ammunition storage buildings at Oktyabrsky on September 22.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
A close-up view of ammunition storage at Oktyabrsky on September 18.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
A close-up view of destroyed buildings and downed trees at Oktyabrsky on September 22.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
In its September 21 announcement, the Ukrainian military also said it targeted an arsenal in Tikhoretsk, a town in the southern Krasnodar Krai region. Kyiv described the site as one of Russia’s largest ammunition storage facilities.
A close-up view of Tikhoretsk on September 14.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
A close-up view of Tikhoretsk on September 22.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referenced the recent attacks in an address to the nation late on Saturday. While he did not name the arsenals, he described one as “significant” for Russia.
“These were depots of Russian tactical missiles and guided aerial bombs — all the things that Russia uses to terrorize our cities, our positions,” Zelenskyy said.
A close-up view of Tikhoretsk on September 14.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
A close-up view of Tikhoretsk on September 22.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.
The recent devastating attacks appear to be Ukraine’s latest demonstration of its long-range strike capabilities. Kyiv is prohibited from using its Western-provided missiles to strike military targets inside Russia, so it has instead relied on domestically produced drones to wage this campaign.
For months, Kyiv has managed to hit military and energy facilities deep within Russia — some hundreds of miles away from the international border and the front lines. Britain’s defense ministry wrote in a Saturday intelligence update that Russian air defenses continue to struggle with “Ukrainian deep strike operations.”
“I want to emphasize that we are doing this thanks to our capabilities, our weapons — without the means that can be provided by our partners and that can significantly accelerate the end of this war by destroying Russia’s offensive potential,” Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
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