Putin hammer-blow as massive explosion blows up Russian ammunition depot

A drone strike in the Tikhoretsk district of Russia's Krasnodar Krai triggered the detonation of explosive materials, believed to be at an ammunition depot, with dramatic footage showing a massive blast at the site.

The incident took place in the early hours of this morning, when Russian air defence units intercepted two drones.

Debris from one of the drones sparked a fire that spread to what were described as "explosive objects", causing the detonations. The depot is believed to store ammunution supplied by North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed that local residents are being evacuated as a precaution, though no casualties have been reported thus far.

The Tikhoretsk district houses a significant ammunition depot, which has reportedly been expanded in recent months.

While Governor Kondratyev did not specify the exact location of the explosions, Russian news outlet Astra has suggested the ammunition depot was the target.

This attack follows a similar strike on 18 September, when Ukrainian drones targeted a major weapons depot in Toropets, Tver Oblast.

In a statement issued today, Kondratyev said: “At night, the Tikhoretsk district was subjected to a terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime.

"Two drones were suppressed by air defence and electronic warfare forces.

"The falling debris of one of them caused a fire that spread to explosive objects. Detonation began.”

He added: "Now, for safety reasons, residents of the village located near the fire site are being temporarily evacuated to nearby settlements.

"A temporary accommodation point has been set up in Tikhoretsk. Fire crews and special services are working at the scene.

"On my instructions, the head of the district, Anatoly Perepelin, is at the scene, reporting on the situation.

"According to preliminary information, there are no casualties among the residents of the district as a result of the emergency."

Separately, a drone strike on Toropets strategic ammunition depot in Russia's Tvier region is likely to cause significant disruption to Russia's war effort, reported the UK's Ministry of Defence.

The depot is used to store 30,000 tonnes of ordnance, including munitions of various calibres for frontline use.

A statement shared via X said: "The explosion at Toropets was recorded at 2.7 on the Richter scale, equivalent to a mild earthquake, with fires covering a 6 km-wide area.

"Although part of a wider supply network, this loss will highly likely disrupt Russian ground operations, particularly in the Kursk region."