Ukrainian Drone Attack Causes Earth-Rattling Blast In Russia's Tver Region

A significant Ukrainian drone assault on Russia caused an earthquake-sized eruption at a major arsenal in the Tver region on Wednesday, forcing citizens in the city of Toropets to evacuate, according to reports from war bloggers and some media.

Unverified video and images on social media showed a huge ball of flame rising into the night sky and numerous explosion detonations tearing across a lake about 240 miles west of Moscow, Reuters reported.

NASA satellites registered intense heat sources coming from an area of about five square miles at the site in the early hours. Earthquake monitoring stations picked up the attack as a small earthquake in the area.

“The enemy hit an ammunition depot in the area of Toropets,” said Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger. “Everything that can burn is already burning there (and exploding).”

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, praised the attack without mentioning the target.

“A very important result was achieved last night on Russian territory and such actions weaken the enemy,” Zelenskyy said. “I thank everyone involved. Such precision is truly inspiring.”

A source in Ukraine’s SBU state security service told Reuters earlier that the drone attack had destroyed a warehouse storing missiles, guided bombs and artillery ammunition.

Igor Rudenya, governor of the Tver region, said Ukrainian drones had been shot down, a fire had broken out and some residents were being evacuated. He did not say what was burning, Reuters reported.

The size of the main blast shown in the unverified social media video was consistent with 200 to 240 tons of high explosives detonating, said George William Herbert of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California.

Some war bloggers asked how drones could trigger such large blasts at what was thought to be a highly fortified facility.

Price Action: Defense contractors saw gains and losses by the end of Wednesday’s trading day.

• General Dynamics Corporation GD slipped 0.44% to $302.52
• Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC rose 0.2% to $521.77
• TransDigm Group Incorporated TDG declined 0.12% to $1,273.80

Exchange-traded funds that hold defense stocks trended up and down.

• IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF ITA rose 0.06%
• Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF PPA fell 0.13%
• SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF XAR declined 0.01%

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