Huge mushroom cloud blast rips through ‘indestructible’ Russian arms depot in one of Ukraine’s biggest kamikaze drone attacks of the war

A huge mushroom cloud billowed high above an ‘indestructible’ arms depot in Russia as Ukraine launched a devastating kamikaze drone strike overnight.

Shocking footage showed the extent of damage as an explosion ripped through two missile and ammunition hubs some 235 miles west of Moscow.

Repeated fireball explosions followed the initial strikes as Putin lost tens of millions of pounds worth of materiel to be funnelled into his war effort in Ukraine.

A mass evacuation of residents in Toropets and nearby villages was underway this morning after facilities containing up to 30,000 tons of munitions were hit.

Russia claimed to have destroyed 54 drones launched early on Wednesday towards five western Russian regions. No information on casualties was given. 

Flames shot into the sky early Wednesday as Ukrainian drones pummelled the site in Toropets

Russian state media reported that the site was home to a major munition hub used for the war

Fires spread after kamikaze drones hit the missile and ammunition site in Toropets

According to an RIA state news agency report from 2018, Russia was building an arsenal for the storage of missiles, ammunition and explosives in Toropets, a 1,000-year-old town, which has a population of just over 11,000.

Upon completion, Putin’s deputy defence minister General Dmitry Bulgakov vowed that ‘it protects missiles and munitions from outside impact and ensures proper upkeep. It is explosion and fire proof.’

Bulgakov has since been arrested in a Putin purge of top defence ministry officials amid wide-ranging corruption allegations. 

NASA satellites picked up several sources emanating from the site in early Wednesday hours and earthquake monitoring stations picked up what sensors thought was a minor earthquake in the area.  

Fire fighters were trying to contain the fire, Igor Rudenya, the governor of the Tver region, said in a post on the Telegram. He did not say what was burning.

He initially wrote: ‘air defence forces continue to repel a massive drone attack in the sky above [Toropets].’ 

Later his regional government said that ‘in order to ensure the safety of residents, the governor … decided to partially evacuate the population from the territory where air defence forces are working and the fire is being localised’. 

Schools and kindergartens in the area were also ordered to close today due to ongoing explosions and toxic smoke.

Residents of the town complained no alerts sounded about incoming kamikaze drones. 

As well as the main inferno after the mushroom cloud explosion, there were several more fires following the drone onslaught, according to satellite data and local footage. The fires then spread.

Multiple depots containing up to 240 tons of missiles, ammunition and explosives were built in Toropets.

Ukrainian war journalist Denis Kazansky said: ‘The scale of the detonation of the warehouse in the Tver region is impressive….

‘The 107th arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Federation is on fire.’

The depots ‘stored rockets for MLRS, mortar mines and anti-aircraft missiles’, he said. ‘In total, the volume of stockpiles is estimated at 30,000 tons.’

It is possible that North Korean and Iranian missiles were among those that exploded and incinerated.

Bulgakov had boasted that the arsenal ‘will hide missiles, munitions and explosives in concrete and rapidly assembled warehouses.

‘It will ease the overload on existing facilities, minimise terrorist threat and improve the environment in the storage area’.

Kindergartens had to be closed on Wednesday as toxic smoke plumed above the town

Residents of the town complained no alerts sounded about incoming kamikaze drones

Fire fighters were trying to contain the fire, the regional governor admitted on Wednesday

The facility is some 285 miles from the Ukrainian border.

As usual in such strikes, Russian officials explained the detonations as being due to falling drone debris after air defences hit incoming UAVs.

In reality, these are usually direct hits by Ukraine evading air defences.

Russian officials rarely disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukrainian attacks. 

As Ukraine has ramped up its domestic drone production over the past two years, it has increased attacks on Russian territory. 

Ukraine’s biggest-ever drone attack struck the Russian capital in September, killing at least one, wrecking homes and disrupting flights at Moscow’s airports.