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On the night of October 25, Russian forces launched new wave of combined strikes on the Ukrainian military in the central regions of the country. Targets were struck in the Khmelnytsky, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, Rivne and Kiev regions. In particular, Ukrainian airfields in Mirgorod, Starokonstantinov and the ammunition depot in Slavuta came under fire.
By the evening, the locals shared footage of the strikes, revealing the scale of the damage that the Ukrainian authorities attempted to hide.
The Russian military launched a devastating strike on the large 47th ammunition arsenal of the AFU (of the military unit A1358) located to the south-east of the city of Slavuta. According to official data, both small arms and heavy ammunition are stored on the territory of the facility.
The strategic arsenal includes at least six fortified underground storage facilities, which are currently used for temporary storage of weapons supplied by NATO. The military facility is protected by several early detection and anti-drone systems, but Ukrainian air defence forces failed to repel Russian attack.
According to local reports, at least one Russian drone hit the territory. After the strike, a large fire accompanied by long secondary detonation broke out in the area. The volume of the explosion indicates that several tons of ammunition exploded.
By the evening, the local reports revealed that the strike hit the cargo of Western weapons that were unloaded on the territory of the arsenal at the veery moment of the attack. The military equipment was delivered along the Lviv – Ternopil — Khmelnitsky railway line.
HIMARS missiles and depleted uranium shells were among the destroyed ammunition. In May 14, the DU shells supplied from the UK were already destroyed by Russian missile strike in the city of Khmelnitsky in the same region. LINK
Another target hit by Russian UAV in the Khmelnitsky region was the military airfield in Starokonstantinov. The facility was reportedly struck by at least one UAV. As a result of the attack, the hangar with the Su-24M fighter was damaged.
Ukrainian authorities of the Khmelnitsky region claimed that “about 300 residential buildings, 28 municipal and state institutions were destroyed, as well as damage to the building of the Khmelnitsky NPP.” However, they did not clarify that the damage was mostly caused by unprofessional wark of Ukrainian Air Defense Forces and likely the secondary detonation at the military facilities. The damage claimed by the Ukrainian authorities does not correspond to the scale of Russian attack and the mass of their warhead. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military is installing air defense systems in the cities which are launching missiles over the heads of the residents.
