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Dozens of Russian troops are believed to be dead after a devastating Ukrainian kamikaze drone strike on Vladimir Putin’s largest ‘impenetrable’ missile and ammunition arsenal.

The Toropets facility contained 30,000 tons of munitions – and is still burning more than 24 hours after the attack in Tver region, satellite data indicates.

The blast from a mass drone strike triggered a mushroom cloud and destroyed Iskander and Tochka-U missiles, guided aerial bombs and artillery ammunition in a major loss for the Kremlin.

The giant complex with around 100 bunkers storing munitions for the war was supposed to be indestructible, built to withstand nuclear attack – yet most of it went up in smoke, visible from space.

But many troops are also feared to have died, revealed pro-war sources in Russia.

Staunchly pro-Putin war commentaor Anastasia Kashevarova said 200 servicemen are normally assigned to the arsenal.

A mushroom cloud grows above the depot after the strike
A mushroom cloud was seen above the skyline after the devastating strike (Picture: Reuters)
Ammunition bunkers on fire after the explosion
Nearby trees were seen burning after the crippling strike (Picture: Reuters)
Flames rise during an explosion, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Toropets, Tver region, Russia in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on September 18, 2024. Social Media/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Social media was ablaze with photos and videos of the explosion (Picture: Reuters)

She said: ‘How many of ours died there? And judging by the explosions and footage – there was nothing left of the bodies.’

Russia has not admitted to any casualties in the arsenal strike but Kashevarova and other war correspondents have accused the authorities of consistently failing to protect Putin’s most precious war assets, and routinely lying to the public.

Of the Russian top brass, she posted: ‘They lie and make mistakes. They lie and they’re wrong. How many times, men? Have your brains and conscience completely atrophied?

‘We are at war, and we keep screwing up, one disaster after another. There’s no way to interpret this anymore other than as the country being handed over to an internal enemy.’

Last month a similar kamikaze drone strike caused a major fire at an ammunitions warehouse in the Voronezh region of Russia.

Regional governor Aleksandr Gusev acknowledged there was a ‘detonation of explosive objects’ and claimed the ignition came from the falling debris from a drone.

Russian channels, meanwhile, confirmed that an ammunition warehouse had been struck.

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