File – Archive image of a drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – Evgen Kotenko / Zuma Press / ContactoPhoto
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Ukraine claims to have attacked one of Russia’s main artillery depots
MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)
The governor of the Russian region of Tver, Igor Rudenya, announced on Wednesday that he has decided to partially evacuate the population of the city of Toropets in the face of a “massive” attack by Ukraine using unmanned aerial vehicles.
“A fire is being extinguished in Toropets at the site where the drone debris fell. Air defence continues to repel a massive drone attack in the skies above the city. To ensure the safety of residents, the governor (…) has decided to partially evacuate the population from the area where air defences are operating and the fire is being brought under control,” he said.
Rudenya, who has indicated that “the necessary measures are being taken”, has assured through his Telegram channel that “the situation is under control.”
The Russian Defense Ministry has estimated that 54 drones were destroyed by Russian air defense systems overnight over various regions of the Russian Federation. Of these, 27 were shot down in the Kursk region, 16 in Bryansk, seven in Smolensk, three in Belgorod and one in Oryol, TASS news agency reports.
Sources from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have said that the attack on Toropets targeted one of the main artillery depots of the Ministry of Defense.
The facilities stored Iskander and Tochka-U missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and artillery ammunition. The drones launched, the SBU source told Ukrainian news agencies, caused a loud explosion and a subsequent fire that spread over 6 kilometres.
“We are continuing to work to organise similar operations at other Russian military facilities that are collaborating in the war against Ukraine,” he said.
“VERY IMPRESSIVE, BUT INSUFFICIENT”
The first official reaction from the Ukrainian authorities came from the main spokesman for the presidency, Mijailo Podoliak, who, while welcoming the success of the operation, believes that there should be many more.
“Very effective, very impressive, but not enough,” Podoliak told the RBC Ukraine news portal, stressing the need to continue this type of attack on Russian territory to create “hysteria” among the population, which will eventually put pressure on its elites.
For Podoliak, a “fair end” to the war requires the destruction of such facilities, which will have repercussions on the front line as well as “important social consequences” for the Russian population.
In this regard, he has insisted once again on the need for Ukraine’s partners to lift both the “informal prohibitions” they have imposed on the use of weapons, and to provide more and better means. “This attack in Toropets clearly shows that everything can be destroyed regardless of what Russian propaganda says,” he concluded.
