NORSAR, the Norwegian Seismic Array, detected 17 seismic events near Toropets, Tver Oblast, Russia, between 03:30 and 09:00 Moscow time on 18 September. The strongest tremor registered a magnitude of 2.5. NORSAR, which has previously analyzed seismic data related to the war in Ukraine, continues to investigate the cause of these events.
Ukrainian special services claim their drones struck a major ammunition depot in Toropets that night. They allege the facility housed North Korean ballistic missiles, Iskander ballistic missiles, guided bombs, and artillery shells. Social media footage purportedly from Toropets shows significant explosions.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, stated that the attacked depot in Tver Oblast could have stored ammunition for BM-21 Grad systems, S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, as well as… pic.twitter.com/08N4QiGLpz
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) September 18, 2024
Russian authorities, however, only reported a fire and injuries from “falling UAV debris,” without mentioning explosions.
Years earlier, Russian state media had reported the construction of a modern arsenal for missiles and explosives in Toropets.
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