ANALYSIS: TV4’s Johan Fredriksson on the Ukrainian attacks • 30,000 tons of Russian ammunition up in smoke
Fire. Russia’s ammunition stockpile is in flames. Putin should be ashamed.
Right in front of the nose of the Russian military, Ukraine has found its own way to knock out the weapons that have terrorized the country since 2022.
On Wednesday, the Norwegian seismological institute Norsar noted nearly 50 giant explosions from the town of Toropets in the Russian Tver region northwest of Moscow. Automatically it was registered as a 2.5 earthquake on the Richter scale.
But the shaking in the ground was not an earthquake. It was Ukrainian attack drones that flew right into one of Russia’s largest weapons depots. The explosions continued for several days. According to Estonian government sources, an estimated 30,000 tons of ammunition went up in smoke.
The attack resulted in the most extensive detonation of Russian munitions seen in this war. Robots, artillery shells and fuel worth many billions were wiped out in a single blow.
Continued seizures
But this was no casual attack. Ukraine’s attack on Russian weapons depots has continued.
On the night of today, Saturday, at least two different military installations with large ammunition stores have been attacked. According to Russia, more than 100 Ukrainian attack drones have been shot down. But some of the armed flying craft must have reached their targets. Countless videos show how explosions light up the night sky in the Krasnodar and Tver regions. How much ammunition and how many warheads were destroyed this time is unclear.
But it is clear that Ukraine has found a new successful route. New ways and methods to reduce Russia’s military strength at a stage where Putin is increasingly receiving arms support from North Korea and Iran.
Russian military capabilities about to be decimated
The drone attacks are now weakening the Moscow regime’s ability to conduct a long-term war of attrition. In the past, it is true that Ukraine has carried out attacks with drones deep into Russia. But what we are seeing now takes the form of a far-reaching and consistent campaign where the huge investment in drone manufacturing is bearing fruit. Conclusion: Russia’s military capabilities may be significantly, step by step, about to be decimated.
The operation is also taking place without the Western long-range weapons that President Zelenskyy requested to use. Time and time again, Ukraine has been forbidden by the US to use the Atacms and similar robots it has been given with the justification that attacks on bases and warehouses deep inside Russia could mean a “dangerous escalation”.
The message to Putin: Your air defenses are full of holes
But .. you take what you have..
The message from Kiev to the friends in Washington and Berlin is: “Okay.. if you are too cowardly to give us long-range systems, we will solve it in our own way”.
The message to Vladimir Putin: “Your air defenses are full of holes. More fires and small earthquakes are to be expected. Your war of illegal invasion has now moved into your half of the plane in earnest. Karma!”