Today, there is important news from the Russian Federation. Here, the Ukrainians dealt another enormous blow to the enemy war machine by targeting one of the largest Russian arsenals. The massive facility, storing hundreds of thousands of munitions of various types, was engulfed in flames that continued to burn for days.
On 22 April, a powerful explosion occurred at the 51st Arsenal of Russia’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) in the village of Barsovo (8 km from the town of Kirzhach) in Vladimir Oblast, approximately 70 km northeast of Moscow. Despite the risk of sanctions and warnings issued by the local governor, dozens of residents published videos of the initial explosion, numerous secondary detonations, and the large-scale fire.
Local authorities initially claimed that no one was hurt. Still, they were soon forced to announce the evacuation of nearby villages and the closure of the main road connecting Moscow to Kirzhach. The depot, spanning an area of approximately 3.5 square kilometres, was one of Russia’s largest and most strategically significant munition storage sites. It reportedly housed up to 264,000 tons of various ordnance, or around 6 million artillery shells—enough for more than one year of combat operations.
The arsenal included high-explosive artillery shells, anti-tank guided missiles, ballistic rockets, and solid-fueled surface-to-surface missiles, some potentially designated for Iskander and Smerch systems.
Drone strike sparks catastrophic blasts
Preliminary reports indicate that the first blast was caused by a direct hit during unloading newly received munitions. This triggered a chain of catastrophic secondary detonations, sending shockwaves across the surrounding region. Massive plumes of dark smoke were seen for hours, while fireballs and repeated bursts were captured in dramatic detail on released footage. The visual evidence strongly suggests the ignition of high-energy solid propellants, further indicating the presence of advanced missile systems.
The scale and intensity of the blast rendered much of the arsenal unsalvageable. This was later confirmed by released satellite data from NASA FIRMS, which is used for monitoring fires. The data showed a huge inferno on the site that was viewable from space.
As usual, the Russian government attributed the blast to a fire caused by safety violations in handling explosives. However, initial data from open-source military observers suggested that the explosion may have been the result of a Ukrainian long-range drone strike, potentially involving the domestically produced Palianytsia turbojet drone missile system, capable of striking targets deep inside Russian territory.
Developed during the ongoing Russian invasion and first unveiled in the summer of last year, Palianytsia is designed for precision long-range attacks. With an operational range exceeding 700 km and an estimated warhead between 50 and 100 kg of TNT, it can cause massive destruction to key logistical and military targets far from the front line.
The attack also highlights ongoing safety concerns regarding Russia’s ammunition storage practices, resulting in domino effects after initial Ukrainian strikes, as past Ukrainian strikes have often been able to trigger massive secondary explosions.
Syrskyi cuts Russian firepower in half
The Ukrainian military has not officially claimed responsibility, but the incident aligns with previous Ukrainian operations targeting similar facilities. Since 2022, Ukraine has conducted a series of precise strikes on major Russian missile and artillery directorate arsenals, aiming to undermine Russia’s logistical and military capabilities. Among them was the 107th ammunition depot in Toropets, where approximately 50,000 tons of ammunition were destroyed.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated earlier this month that these strikes on Russian artillery arsenals have already cut the Russian artillery fire rate in half. So, we should expect an even bigger reduction after this strike.
With Russian military doctrine heavily relying on massive artillery barrages to support offensive operations, it is no surprise that after previous major strikes, Russian frontline activity significantly slowed, revealing a direct operational impact of Ukrainian targeting of these facilities.
As Russia prepares for a summer offensive, the latest strike is no coincidence—meant to undermine Russian firepower capabilities ahead of their planned final offensive. Overall, each successful Ukrainian strike of this magnitude eliminates millions of shells that could be used against Ukrainian troops and civilians, and to support Russian offensives.
The latest precision strike comes at a key moment, destroying up to a year’s worth of Russian ammunition. All the while, Russia is gathering forces to launch its final offensive ahead of a possible freezing of the front line. With Russians heavily relying on massive artillery barrages to support their attack, they will be doomed to fail from the start without the key stockpiles.
In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
