Ukraine destroys underground explosives depot in western Russia, intelligence source claims
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) carried out a successful attack against a Russian explosives storage facility in Tula Oblast overnight on Aug. 30, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
The news comes amid escalating Ukrainian attacks against Russian military and industrial facilities in the rear, aiming to undermine Moscow's ability to wage its all-out war.
The underground depot was located at the Alexin Chemical Plant, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Moscow.
It was used to store, among other things, pyroxylin gunpowder, a smokeless powder used in the production of small arms, artillery, and rocket engines, the source claimed.
Local Telegram channels reported a series of loud explosions, as well as fire trucks and ambulances heading to the scene.
The intelligence source said that the depot was destroyed in the attack, but did not provide further details on the operation, including what weapons were used.
Tula Oblast Governor Dmitry Milyaev reported that Russian air defenses repelled a drone attack against the region overnight, noting that some of the wreckage fell on the premises of a manufacturing enterprise.
One Ukrainian drone was intercepted in Tula Oblast, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
"According to preliminary data, there are no casualties or damage," Milyaev claimed on his Telegram channel. Russia does not usually disclose details on damage inflicted on its strategic facilities during Ukrainian attacks.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Earlier the same day, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces reported overnight drone strikes against Russian oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and Samara Oblast.
