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Yuri Zoria


UK intelligence: Russia’s recent ammo depot loss was self-inflicted

British assessment found no Ukrainian involvement in the major explosion at Kirzhach that wrecked a vast arms stockpile in April.
uk intelligence russia’s recent ammo depot loss self-inflicted government satellite dated 24 2025 shows damage 51st grau munitions arsenal kirzhach russia mod © crown copyright 2025; airbus ds british assessment
UK Government satellite image dated 24 April 2025 shows damage to the 51st GRAU Munitions Arsenal in Kirzhach, Russia. Source: UK MoD © Crown Copyright, 2025; AIRBUS DS 2025.
UK intelligence: Russia’s recent ammo depot loss was self-inflicted

The UK Ministry of Defense stated in a 14 May intelligence update that the large-scale explosions at Russia’s 51st GRAU munitions depot near Kirzhach, Vladimir oblast, were most likely caused by internal failures rather than any external attack.

The depot, located approximately 80 km east of Moscow, was destroyed by multiple explosive detonations on 22 April. According to the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, it held around 105,000 tonnes of munitions, including ballistic missiles, air launched and air defense weapons, artillery shells, and small arms ammunition for frontline deployment in Ukraine.

Satellite imagery confirms scale of damage

British officials noted that satellite imagery showed more than 1 square kilometer of the site was affected by the blast. The UK intelligence assessment interpreted the destruction as a substantial setback for Russia’s ability to supply its forces in Ukraine.

uk intelligence russia’s recent ammo depot loss self-inflicted government satellite dated 24 2025 shows damage 51st grau munitions arsenal kirzhach russia mod © crown copyright 2025; airbus ds 2 ministry
UK Government satellite image dated 24 April 2025 shows damage to the 51st GRAU Munitions Arsenal in Kirzhach, Russia. Source: UK MoD © Crown Copyright, 2025; AIRBUS DS 2025.

Furthermore, fire-damaged, unstable, unexploded munitions may have landed outside of the facility, potentially posing danger to civilians in the vicinity,” the report reads.

Russian MOD blames fire; UK says poor handling to blame

Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed the explosions began with a fire that triggered detonation of stored munitions. The UK Defense Intelligence update assessed that this explanation was consistent with chronic deficiencies in Russia’s handling of weapons and storage procedures.

It is highly likely that poor weapons handling procedures alongside negligent storage of munitions resulted in this loss,” the British report stated.

uk intelligence russia’s recent ammo depot loss self-inflicted government satellite images dated 4 24 spril 2025 show 51st grau munitions arsenal kirzhach russia before after fires explosions mod © crown
UK Government satellite images dated 4 and 24 Spril 2025 show the 51st GRAU Munitions Arsenal in Kirzhach, Russia, before and after the fires and explosions. Source: UK MoD © Crown Copyright, 2025; DigitalGlobe Inc., a Maxar Company; AIRBUS DS

The British Defense Ministry further characterized the incident as part of a “longstanding trend of regularly evidenced Russian ineptitude” in managing its military equipment.

Largest self-inflicted munitions loss of the war

UK officials concluded that the destruction of the 51st GRAU arsenal was probably the largest munitions loss Russia has suffered due to its own internal actions during the current conflict.