Kyiv said Wednesday it had struck a Russian arms depot in the border region of Bryansk that was storing hardware and ammo including munitions supplied to Moscow by North Korea.
Ukrainian forces have in recent months occupied swathes of Russia’s border Kursk region and have stepped up attacks inside Russia, mainly targeting energy facilities.
The Ukrainian military said the strike was carried out overnight in coordination with drone units with the aim of creating logistical difficulties for Russian forces.
«The arsenal stored ammunition for missile and artillery systems, including those delivered from North Korea, as well as glide bombs. Much of the ammunition was stored in the open,» the Ukrainian military’s general staff said in a statement.
The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of providing ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, now grinding through its third year.
Russian state media reported that regional authorities had implemented a local state of emergency in the Karachevsky district in relation to «explosions.»
Unverified images circulating on social media showed a large blaze lighting up a night sky to the sound of a series of explosions.
The Russian army said it had shot down 47 Ukrainian drones overnight, nearly half of them over the Bryansk region.
Around 13 drones were destroyed over the Azov Sea and the rest over regions either bordering or near Ukraine, it said.
Kyiv has ramped up strikes targeting Russia’s energy sector in recent months, aiming to dent revenues used by Moscow to fund what the Kremlin calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
Russian authorities said that an oil depot struck by Ukrainian forces on the Crimean peninsula was still ablaze, three days after it was struck and hundreds of people residing nearby were evacuated.
Ukraine meanwhile said it had downed 21 of 22 Russian attack drones and that three missiles had targeted the Poltava region, damaging an industrial facility.