“ISW suggests that the Russian Federation did not eliminate vulnerabilities at many sites due to the cover space created by restrictions on the use of Western weapons”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
Analysts recall that in the summer of 2022, Ukrainian forces carried out a series of HIMARS strikes on Russian ammunition depots in the territory of occupied Ukraine, which forced Russian forces to disperse ammunition depots and reduced the effectiveness of Russian logistics at that time.
ISW believes that repeated strikes on ammunition depots in Russia, which cause similar damage to the strike in Toropka, could force the Russian military command to approve a similar decision to reorganize and decentralize support and logistics systems in Russia to mitigate the consequences of such strikes.
Read also: Attack on Russian warehouses in Toropka: “Schemes” released satellite images
Ukrainian strikes on objects on the territory of Russia can affect offensive operations on the entire front in Ukraine, if the Ukrainian troops have the material base, capabilities and permission to conduct a large-scale campaign of strikes on objects of logistical support and support on the territory of Russia , summarized at the Institute for the Study of War.
On the night of September 18, Ukrainian drones struck the headquarters of the main missile and artillery department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in Toropka, Tver region, an informed source in the Security Service of Ukraine told Radio Svoboda. According to the source, the warehouse stored missiles intended for Iskander operational-tactical missile systems, Tochka-U tactical missile systems, anti-aircraft missiles and artillery ammunition.
In Toropka, the local authorities announced the evacuation of the population from the area where a fire broke out as a result of a drone strike.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, combat drones regularly fly into Russian regions, resulting in destruction and casualties. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that the attacks are being carried out from the Ukrainian side.
Kyiv claimed that the strikes on Russia were aimed at military, energy and transport infrastructure, which are key to Moscow’s war effort.
Russian authorities almost never report the full extent of the damage caused by Ukrainian strikes.