Ukraine-Russia war live: Mass drone attack on Russian arms depot sparks huge fire as war casualties reach 1m
Massive explosion at ammo depot forces evacuations and closure of schools in western Russia
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A “massive” Ukrainian drone attack on an arms depot in Russia’s Tver region which sparked huge fires and caused a blast picked up by earthquake monitors has led to evacuations, power cuts and school closures.
The attack caused an “extremely powerful detonation” at a Russian defence ministry warehouse in the 1,000-year-old town of Toropets, containing Iskander and Tochka-U tactical missile systems, guided aerial bombs and artillery ammunition, a source in Ukraine’s SBU security service said.
Russian state media had suggested in 2018 that the site at the 1,000-year-old town of Toropets – which sits northwest of Moscow, and 65 miles from the Belarus border – was home to a major arsenal for conventional weaponry.
It came as fresh estimates from Western intelligence suggested the total number of casualties from Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine may have exceeded one million.
The figure includes 80,000 Ukrainian troops killed and 400,000 wounded, according to a confidential estimate from Kyiv reported by the Wall Street Journal. Estimates of Russian casualties vary but are expected to number around 200,000 killed and 400,000 wounded.
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Massive explosions reported at ammunition depot in Russia
Huge explosions rocked Russia’s Toropets city this morning, amid reports that an ammunition warehouse was struck by a Ukrainian drone.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed the massive explosion from a distance, as a thick cloud of smoke and flames rose into the sky.
The explosion was also captured today on Nasa’s orbital monitoring Fire Informations and Resource Management System.
“Russian authorities have announced ‘partial evacuation’ of the city of Toropets. The depot can have up to around 30,000 tons of munitions in store,” said Illia Ponomarenko, a Ukrainian journalist and author.
Casualties in Ukraine war 'reach one million'
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed or injured roughly one million people on both sides of the conflict, according to fresh estimates based on Western intelligence.
While there are no precise tolls available and neither Russia nor Ukraine publicly reveals how many losses they have suffered, the Wall Street Journal collated the latest estimates to show the total casualties had passed the million mark.
Ukraine is believed to have had 80,000 troops killed and 400,000 wounded, according to a confidential estimate produced by Kyiv earlier this year.
Russian casualties have varied in Western intelligence estimates but its dead are expected to number nearly 200,000 and wounded to be around 400,000, the WSJ report added.
In July, leaked Pentagon estimates of Russian losses were reported to be even greater, with the highest estimate for the number of killed, injured or captured troops up to 728,000.
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Ukraine investigating captured soldier’s 'execution by sword'
Ukraine has opened an investigation into the alleged killing of captured prisoner of war by sword, the prosecutor general’s office said.
Andriy Kostin, the prosecutor general, shared a blurred image from the footage where a Ukrainian POW with taped hands is seen.
“Another act of barbarism by the aggressor state. Footage of an alleged execution by sword of an unarmed Ukrainian serviceman with taped hands is spreading on the web. Preliminarily, the crime was committed in Novohrodivka, Donetsk region,” Mr Kostin said in the post.
“The footage shows the Ukrainian servicemember clearly disarmed, wearing no protective equipment, and with remnants of duct tape around his wrists, suggesting that Russian forces captured, disarmed, and forcibly detained the servicemember,” the Institute for the Study of War said.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said it was looking into a social media post showing images of an apparent execution. “Criminal proceeding have been initiated regarding the violation of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),” Mr Kostin said.
Russian region suspends schools after Ukrainian drone strike
Schools and kindergartens were cancelled this morning in parts of Russia’s Tver region, local administration said in a statement that followed reports of a Ukrainian drone attack on the region.
“Dear residents! Kindergartens and schools are suspended for today!!!” the administration of the Zapadnodvinsky district in Tver said on the social Vkontatke network.
It did not explicitly specify why the schools were suspended. The district borders the Toropetsky district, where officials said a Ukrainian drone attack sparked fire and forced partial evacuation of the town of Toropets.
Russia claims Ukrainsk in east Ukraine captured
Russian forces claimed they have captured the Ukrainian town of Ukrainsk in the eastern Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian town was encircled by the Russian forces earlier this month during their advance towards Pokrovsk.
“Ukrainsk is ours,” said Yuri Podolyaka, an Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, adding that Russian forces had taken the city “almost intact” allowing them to use it as a base for further offensive operations.
Russian forces raised their flag on a mine ventilation shaft on the outskirts of the town, which had a population of over 10,000 before the war broke out, an unidentified source from the Russian military said.
No mention of the loss of Ukrainsk was made by Ukraine’s General Staff in its late evening report. They referred to it as one of several places under Russian attack. It said 34 assaults had been recorded near the town of Pokrovsk.
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Ukraine targets western Russia with drones
Here’s what has happened in the early hours in Russia:
Ukraine launched a series of drones overnight targeting several western Russian regions, local governors said this morning, adding there was no damage or casualties.
At least seven Ukrainian drones were destroyed over the western Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, governor of the region that borders Belarus, said on Telegram.
One drone was destroyed by Russia’s air defence units over the Oryol region, governor Andrei Klychkov said on Telegram.
At least 14 of Ukraine’s attack drones were destroyed over the Bryansk region, governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.
Kyiv says the strikes targeted Russia’s military, energy and transport infrastructure key to Moscow’s war efforts.
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The Ukraine will eventually use UK long missiles in its war against Russia, despite threats of an all-out war by Vladimir Putin, an ex-Army boss has said. Talks are continuing with the US and allies about giving Kyiv permission to use UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to hit Russian airbases and military sites which are being used to launch attacks on Ukraine. Appearing on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg today (15 September), General Sir John McColl said: “They should not signal this kind of dither and dilemma, they need to be firm in the signals we send.” Gen McColl added: “We are dithering, my guess is that eventually they will be provided.”
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