(Kyiv) Ukraine announced on Saturday that it had struck two military ammunition and missile depots in southern and western Russia, including a “key” site for the logistics of Russian forces, a few days after claiming a similar attack.
Images published on social media, the authenticity of which AFP has not been able to verify, show very large explosions followed by multiple detonations and vast clouds of smoke.
The regional authorities of Krasnodar (southwest) had previously ordered evacuations after the outbreak of a fire linked to a Ukrainian drone, those of Tver (west) also saying they had been attacked.
However, none of them mentioned the target of these strikes, which they said did not cause any casualties.
The Ukrainian army and the security services (SBU) struck the warehouse in Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar region, overnight, according to a statement published on Telegram. It is “one of the three largest ammunition storage bases” in Russia and a “key location” for the logistics of Russian troops, the Kyiv army assured.
IMAGE FROM SOCIAL MEDIA, REUTERS
Smoke and flames rise from the port of Kavkaz in the Krasnodar region of Russia.
1200 residents evacuated
Veniamine Kondratiev, governor of the Krasnodar region, which is close to Ukraine and separated by the Sea of Azov, had earlier said that two drones had been shot down by anti-aircraft defenses.
The falling debris “started” a fire in the Tikhoretsky district, he said on Telegram, specifying that the drone attack had “not caused any casualties”.
However, the authorities decided to evacuate people living in the village of Koubane, near the scene of the fire, he added, specifying that 1,200 residents had been evacuated.
Images released by Russian authorities show residents being evacuated by bus and taking refuge in a temporary shelter.
They will be able to return home in two days, regional official Sergei Shtrikov was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency.
Another warehouse belonging to the artillery department of the Russian Defense Ministry was struck by Ukrainian security services in Oktyabrsky, Tver region, according to the Ukrainian military.
Artillery ammunition and missiles were stored there, a security source said.
“After the drones, detonations were triggered in the warehouse and five fires were detected,” the source added.
On Wednesday, Ukraine had already claimed responsibility for the destruction of a missile and artillery ammunition depot in Toropets, also in the Tver region. Ballistic missiles, guided aerial bombs and artillery ammunition were stored there, it said.
IMAGE ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
A series of explosions occurred at an ammunition depot in Toropets, Russia, on September 18, 2024.
Tver Region Governor Igor Rudenia also reported airstrikes on the Toropets district. Traffic on a highway had to be halted, but resumed at midday, regional authorities reported on Telegram.
101 drones
Ukrainian security services also carried out a drone strike against the Shaykovka military airfield in the Kaluga region, a source in the service said.
Military aircraft that “regularly strike Ukraine” are stationed there, according to the same source.
In total, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down 101 Ukrainian drones during the night from Friday to Saturday.
The military claims to intercept Ukrainian drones launched by Kyiv almost daily in retaliation for the Russian offensive launched in Ukraine in February 2022.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have carried out an attack during the night “against energy installations that support the work of enterprises of the military-industrial complex” in Ukraine.
The Russian military said it had hit weapons depots and a ship containing weapons destined for Ukraine.
A Russian overnight strike killed three people, including a 12-year-old child, and wounded three others in Kryvyi Rig in central Ukraine, Governor Sergiy Lissak said.