When the researchers at the research institute Norsar came to work on Wednesday morning, they quickly realized that something strange had happened in Russia during the night. The instruments that automatically measure seismic activity, i.e. tremors in the earth, showed a lot of activity in the town of Toropets in the Tver region in western Russia. – It was quite unusual. But then came the news about the drone attack, says seismologist Ben Dando at Norsar. According to the reports, Ukraine had attacked a warehouse for ammunition in Toropets with drones. Throughout the morning, firefighters worked to gain control of the large fires that had broken out. – We started going through the registrations. And we could clearly see that the explosions were linked to the drone attack on the ammunition depot, says Dando. Satellite images of the ammunition warehouse in Tver showed smoke billowing up after the attack on the night of Wednesday. Maxar Technologies / Reuters Ammunition went into the air Norsar is based at Kjeller in Lillestrøm. A group of researchers sit there and monitor seismology, i.e. the sound waves produced by earthquakes and explosions. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, scientists have followed the war. They receive data from a number of countries that are close to Russia and Ukraine. The information can tell a lot about what is happening in the war, both in Ukraine and Russia. But the attack on the ammunition depot in Toropets stood out. – When we look at the explosions we have witnessed in Ukraine, they are usually much smaller, says Dando. Ben Dando at Norsar says that the explosions recorded in Russia were unusually powerful. Photo: Eleonora Mikalsen / Norsar The explosions were far more powerful than what is seen with artillery attacks or cruise missiles, which are equipped with powerful explosive charges, according to Dando. While the seismic activity of a cruise missile strike is usually measured at around 1.5 on the Richter scale, this one had a magnitude of 2.5. So like a very small earthquake. – This indicates that what we are seeing are not explosions from the explosive charge, but secondary explosions. So the ammunition that goes in the air. That explains why the signals are so powerful, he says. A mushroom-shaped explosion rises from the ammunition depot on the night of Wednesday. The image is taken from a video shared on social media. Photo: Social media / Reuters Affects the Russian strike force The measurements show that the first explosions occurred at 2 a.m. on Wednesday Norwegian time. New explosions continued to occur for the next six hours. Several smaller explosions were also recorded in the afternoon. – When we look at the signals, we can see 20-21 individual explosions. But if we do a more sensitive analysis, we can see almost 50 different explosions throughout the night, says Dando. Satellite images show smoke over the landscape after the explosions on Wednesday. Photo: Maxar Technologies / AP The head of the Estonian intelligence service, Ants Kiviselg, says according to state Estonian TV that the Russian defense will quickly feel the consequences of the Ukrainian attack on the weapons warehouse in Torovets. According to Kiviselg, around 30,000 tonnes of explosives were destroyed in the attack. That corresponds to around 750,000 warheads. Russia uses around 10,000 grenades and rockets a day during the war against Ukraine. Kiviselg therefore believes that the Russian army will feel the losses after the Ukrainian attack on the night of 19 September for several months to come. Interested in abroad? Listen to the foreign affairs editor’s podcast: Published 20.09.2024, at 18.41
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Ukraine attacked Russian munitions warehouse – in Norway the researchers followed – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
