51st Arsenal May Have Been Hit During Ammunition Unloading

The explosion at Russia’s 51st GRAU Arsenal may have been caused by a drone strike during the unloading of ammunition from railway cars, according to new satellite imagery from NASA FIRMS.

Following the large-scale detonation at around 4:00 p.m., fires continued to burn at the site, with secondary explosions reported throughout the area.

Infrared satellite scans by NASA as of the morning of April 23 showed partial containment of the fires within the military facility. The blaze remains active in areas where damaged ammunition had accumulated.

By comparing the fire zones with high-resolution satellite images, analysts identified ignition points near rail platforms in the central, northern, and eastern sections of the base. These areas are typically used for outdoor ammunition storage awaiting loading or unloading, making them vulnerable to drone strikes.

Other hotspots were detected at fortified bunkers in the central and western parts of the arsenal. While such bunkers are designed to withstand UAV attacks, they may have been damaged by secondary blasts.

A similar pattern was observed at the 107th Arsenal in Toropets, which Ukrainian drones hit in September 2024.

At that site, 12 of 38 reinforced bunkers were destroyed and seven more sustained serious damage, though without evidence of internal detonation. The remaining 19 bunkers in the facility’ remote section appeared intact.

The local authorities have since cordoned off the area around the 51st Arsenal and evacuated 495 residents from three nearby villages within a three-kilometer radius. They were relocated to temporary shelters.

Local Telegram channels also reported forest fires between the settlements of Kirzhach, Barsovo, and Pershyne.

Craters from shell detonations were found in the villages of Berezhki and Filippovskoye, about 10 kilometers from the arsenal. Some fragments damaged buildings and caused civilian injuries.

“The number of injured has not changed since yesterday: four people, three of whom were hospitalized, no life threat,” regional governor Alexander Avdeev claimed.