Latest news with #Tochka-U
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Enormous Russian Arms Depot Explodes, Emptying Nearby Villages
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Flames engulfed an arsenal containing more than 100,000 tons of weapons and missiles in a Russian region following explosions that prompted the evacuation of neighboring areas. Russian state media confirmed that there had been explosions on Tuesday at the arsenal near Kirzhach in the Vladimir region, but authorities denied there were casualties and blamed the incident on a violation of safety requirements regarding explosives. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the incident, which is the latest to hit a Russian military facility. Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian Defense Ministries for comment. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Moscow on December 16, 2024. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Moscow on December 16, It Matters Ukrainian Telegram channels, media and open-source military observers have speculated that the explosions may have been the result of a Ukrainian long-range drone strike. These claims have not been independently verified, and Ukrainian authorities have provided no confirmation—though one official noted that the site contained rocket launchers, ammunition and missiles that Russia has used against Ukraine. What To Know Explosions erupted on Tuesday at the arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate in Vladimir. The site, which is 40 miles north of Moscow and about 330 miles from the Ukrainian border, spans 502 hectares and serves as a critical storage facility for Russia's military. Astra, an independent Russian media outlet, said residents reported a powerful blast followed by continued secondary detonation and that drones could be heard beforehand. Russia's Defense Ministry said the fire erupted at the site because of a violation of safety protocols when working with explosive materials. Explosions reported near military base in Kirzhachsky district, Vladimir region — local media A road leading from Moscow to Kirzhach has reportedly been blocked. Residents say smoke from the explosions can be seen above the village of Barsovo. The area houses the Arsenal of the… — ASTRA (@ASTRA_PRESS) April 22, 2025 The Russian Emergencies Ministry said a military unit, seven settlements and 12 holiday villages had been evacuated, and Russian media reported that nearby homes were also damaged. Four people were injured, according to Vladimir Oblast Governor Aleksandr Avdeyev. Without Kyiv claiming responsibility, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said the site stored about 105,000 tons of weapons, including Iskander, Tochka-U and Kinzhal missiles—all of which have been used to strike Ukrainian infrastructure. The depot also contained ammunition for Pantsir-S1, S-300 and S-400 air defense systems and Grad, Smerch and Uragan multiple rocket launchers, Kovalenko added. Ukrainian and military sources speculated that the explosion might have been caused by a Ukrainian long-range drone strike, potentially involving the domestically produced Palianytsia turbojet drone missile system. What People Are Saying Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram: "The 51st GRAU arsenal burned [thoroughly], with secondary detonations; the fire engulfed it almost completely." What Happens Next Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov has set up a team to investigate the incident. On Wednesday, Russian air defenses opened fire against drones in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia's Tatarstan region—where Shahed-type drones are produced, according to Astra—and Ukrainian strikes on sites deep inside Russia are likely to continue.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Ukraine's 2-Ton Ballistic Missiles Are Back In Action
A Tochka-U launch. When the Soviet army left Ukraine in 1991, it left behind as many as 500 Tochka conventional ballistic missiles. Thirty-one years later, on the eve of Russia's wider war on Ukraine, the Ukrainian army's Tochka-U inventory was down to 90 active missiles. The decline made sense. The two-ton, 70-mile-range rocket with its 1,000-pound warhead and inertial guidance has a single-stage, solid-fuel engine. Solid rocket fuels don't last forever. Incredibly, the Ukrainian army's 19th Missile Brigade, which also operates U.S.-made High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers, continues to lob the crude but powerful Tochka-Us at Russian staging areas and supply lines just past the front line. Official photos and videos that circulated in January and March confirmed that the 19th Missile Brigade still has Tochka-Us. Indeed, the missiles appear to be fresh from the factory. But the Tochka-U factory was in Russia, and it's unlikely Ukraine has established a new production line for brand-new missiles. After all, Kyiv's priority is to complete development of a new and improved ballistic missile, the Hrim-2. So where did the replacement Tochka-Us come from? 'There is speculation that the AFU'—the armed forces of Ukraine—'were able to restore missiles that were previously considered beyond repair,' explained the pro-Ukraine Conflict Intelligence Team. That probably meant disassembling, refueling and rebuilding decades-old missiles that were toxic, explosive and extremely unsafe to handle. The 19th Missile Brigade's recent resupply marks at least the second time the brigade has received a batch of refurbished Tochka-Us. The brigade fired off its pre-war consignment of around 90 missiles in the first year of Russia's wider war on Ukraine between early 2022 and early 2023. For the next six months, the wheeled Tochka-U launchers and their crews were idle. In November 2023, the launchers and crews sprung back into action, lobbing Tochka-Us at targets in Belgorod Oblast in western Russia and Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Soon, however, the missiles ran out again. The launchers and crews idled once more, awaiting fresh missiles. They arrived no later than January. Reloading a Tochka-U launcher. It's possible to guess who's doing the Tochka-U rebuilds. Ukraine has long possessed one of the biggest rocket industries in Europe. The sprawling Yuzhmash—a.k.a., Pivdenmash—complex in Dnipro, in southern Ukraine, produces a wide array of rockets and rocket-parts for space launches and military use. Russian firm KBM was the lead manufacturer of Tochka-Us during the type's main production run between the 1970s and 1990s. But Yuzhmash had no problem building its own Tochka-U parts following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It's not for no reason the Ukrainian government tapped Yuzhmash to build the Hrim-2. Likewise, it's not for no reason Russian forces repeatedly have targeted Yuzhmash. The Kremlin claimed one April 2023 strike 'destroyed' a Tochka-U workshop in Dnipro. On Nov. 21, the Russians bombarded Dnipro with an experimental Oreshnik ballistic missile packing several independent reentry vehicles. It's apparent the Yuzhmash complex remains active, however. It has rebuilt or dispersed targeted facilities, or both. As far back as the summer of 2023, the Ukrainian defense ministry claimed the Hrim-2 was ready for initial production, presumably in Dnipro. The Tochka-U is not a sophisticated missile. If Yuzhmash can produce heavy engines for high-stakes space-launches, there's no reason it can't recondition the much smaller, simpler Tochka-U. And since the Soviets left hundreds of Tochka-Us in Ukraine, there should be plenty of old rocket bodies lying around that Yuzhmash can work with. The pace of work is obviously slow, however. That's why the 19th Missile Brigade's Tochka-U batteries wage war the way they do: powerfully—but sporadically.
