Ukraine Strikes Russian Arsenal in Toropets With 100 Drones, Targeting Stockpiled Missiles

In the early hours of Tuesday, a large group of Ukrainian drones flew north to Toropets, a town in western Russia. This town is home to the 107th Arsenal, a big ammunition storage facility that supplies the Russian military fighting in Ukraine, about 300 miles away.

The explosion at the arsenal was so powerful that it felt like a small earthquake, caught the attention of NASA satellites, and forced local authorities to evacuate nearby residents. Many Russian weapons were destroyed in the fire, but it's unclear which specific munitions were lost. According to the Ukrainian group Frontelligence Insight, the arsenal stored items like 122-millimeter rockets, 82-millimeter mortar bombs, and 7.62-millimeter ammunition for rifles and machine guns.

However, there is a chance that much more powerful weapons were also stored there. Sources told RBC-Ukraine that the stocks might have included S-300 air-defense missiles, Iskander ballistic missiles, and KN-23 ballistic missiles from North Korea. These types of missiles are used by Russia to strike Ukrainian cities and power grids from long distances.

Russia’s best-case scenario is that only a few ballistic missiles were lost, and they can be replaced, possibly by new shipments from Iran. The worst-case scenario for Russia is that they lost a significant portion of their best long-range weapons.

For Ukraine, this attack on Toropets could be a major turning point. For months, Ukrainian officials have been asking European and American allies to allow them to use donated long-range missiles—like the British Storm Shadow, French SCALP-EG, and American ATACMS rockets—on Russian targets, including stockpiles like the one in Toropets. However, these allies have refused, despite Russia continuing its deadly long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Frustrated by this, Ukraine has increased the production of its own drones and missiles, which it can use against Russia without needing anyone’s permission. By destroying the arsenal in Toropets, these homemade weapons may have delivered their biggest victory yet, potentially saving many Ukrainian lives by preventing future Russian missile attacks. "A very important result was achieved," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the explosion.