A series of explosions have occurred at the 51st Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defence in Russia's Vladimir Oblast.
Source: Militarnyi, a Ukrainian military news outlet; Russian Telegram channel Astra; Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti
Details: Reports indicate that a gigantic explosion has occurred at the facility and that secondary detonations continue.
According to Astra, the explosions are being heard near the place of deployment of a military unit in the Kirzhach district of Vladimir Oblast. The road from Moscow to the settlement of Kirzhach has been reportedly blocked.
Local residents note that smoke from the detonation is visible over the village of Barsovo. The arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, military unit No 11785, is located there.
Militarnyi reports that this is one of the largest arsenals operated by Russia's Ministry of Defence.
The 51st Arsenal of the Directorate (military unit No 11785) is located about 530 km from the Russo-Ukrainian border.
The military facility, located east of Moscow, covers an area of about 3.5 sq. km. and, according to some reports, can store about 274,000 tonnes of ammunition.
It has fortified bunkers for storing ammunition and open storage areas for unloading/loading weapons.
Satellite image showing the 51st Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Defence Ministry. Photo: Maxar