KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A fire has destroyed a Russian arms depot deep inside the country, causing explosions and the closure of a major highway, after Ukraine launched more than 100 drones into Russia overnight and occupied Crimea, Russian news reports and the Defense Ministry reported.
The depot appeared to be just a few miles away from another depot that was hit by Ukrainian drones on Wednesday morning, injuring 13 people and starting a major fire.
Russian authorities closed a 100-kilometer (62-mile) stretch of highway and evacuated passengers from a nearby train station on Saturday after a fire set off a series of explosions. Posts on local Telegram channels on the messaging app said a missile depot had been hit near the town of Toropets, in Russia’s Tver region, about 380 kilometers (240 miles) northwest of Moscow and about 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Unconfirmed images are circulating on Telegram showing a large fireball rising into the night sky, along with dozens of smoke trails from the explosions.
An ammunition depot and missile arsenal in southwestern Russia also caught fire in a separate attack on Saturday in the Krasnodar region, prompting evacuations after the fire set off a series of explosions. Videos on social media showed bright orange clouds rising over the horizon as dull booms of detonations rang out almost continuously.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Saturday morning that its forces had shot down 101 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory and occupied Crimea. There were no immediate reports of casualties in either Russian region.
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