Ukraine reportedly uses triple-loaded Neptune missile to strike Russian ammunition depot in Tver region
Analysts report that Ukraine launched a combined strike on ammunition depots in Toropets, deploying a modified Ukrainian "Neptune" missile featuring triple the usual explosive payload.
French news outlet Le Monde published a detailed account of how Ukraine decimated a massive Russian ammunition stockpile using innovative projectiles.
Unprecedented resources mobilized by the Ukrainian forces have significantly amplified the devastation. An inside military source in Kyiv disclosed that over 100 drones were involved in the operation. Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels mentioned the possibility of a new "Palianytsia" missile drone, whose successful test was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of August. In contrast, Ukrainian site Defense Express leans towards the theory of a modified "Neptune" missile with a tripled explosive payload.
The likelihood is high that the strike was a hybrid attack, utilizing Ukrainian rocket drones and cruise missiles.
Early Wednesday morning, September 18, a series of powerful explosions obliterated a major ammunition depot near the town of Toropets in the Tver region. The hit depot, labeled Arsenal No. 107, housed 240 tons of ammunition and was situated 500 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border. The blasts were so intense that they were recorded by seismic monitoring systems. The initial tremors registered a 2.8 magnitude at 3:56 AM, followed by seven smaller shocks ranging from 2 to 2.8.
Ongoing explosions have been heard, indicating that the situation remains uncontrolled hours after the attack. Satellite images released by American private space company Maxar show persistent fires in the forested area adjacent to the depot.
Multiple videos capture the distinctive whistling noise of rocket engines, suggesting, at least in part, the use of cruise missiles in the assault. Previously, deep-target attacks within Russian territory were conducted using turbo-propeller drones, which are slower and more susceptible to air defense systems.
In its daily briefings, the Russian Ministry of Defense maintains that "all Ukrainian drones were shot down," with the incident attributed to "falling debris." Notably, the ministry fails to mention the Tver region when listing the areas where drones were reportedly intercepted. Russian media have largely ignored the incident, evidently to withhold distressing news from the public.