51st GRAU Arsenal Hit: Strike During Ammunition Unloading

April 22, 2025January 12, 2026

Before the 51st GRAU Arsenal hit, it was known as a narrowly specialized facility storing mainly missiles of various types and purposes. Sure, artillery shells sit there too, but every arsenal stores those — here the main thing is missiles. Not surprising, since this arsenal was considered the hardest to attack. It sits far from moscow and, according to various sources, the capital’s general air defense system covered it. For this reason, everyone believed hitting it was practically impossible, so they brought the most valuable stuff there — primarily missiles.

Colleagues write that they found very strange posts in enemy publics. The Orcs¹ gloomily wrote they no longer surprise at anything after Engels got wrecked — the missile storage where nuclear munitions were kept. But someone quickly deleted the posts, and I can’t provide screenshots. However, I see no reason to distrust colleagues, just as I see no reason they’d invent such episodes. Again, unclear how the enemy capital’s vaunted air defense dome actually worked, but out of a couple dozen reports that caught my eye, I didn’t find a single one that even mentioned this fact.

The Strike Hit Precisely and Hard

On the other hand, these minor details faded into the background after the 51st GRAU Arsenal hit exposed the scale of the strike. This time they managed to hit the ammunition itself, and after a gigantic explosion, massive secondary detonation began with munitions flying in all directions. This is exactly why the first wave of evacuation went through there. These measures might continue further. Well, the first impressions from how all this looks on site clearly indicate they indeed hit the missiles. Hard to say whether this was a primary hit or they exploded from secondary detonation, but when huge clouds of white-gray smoke rise into the air, this color comes from burning rocket fuel.

Note: this target sits 530 kilometers from the nearest Swamps² border with Ukraine. This alone shows that such distances no longer pose a problem for the Armed Forces, which delivered a successful strike not just on a fat target, but a complex one. It’s possible the strike asset approached from a direction other than the south, avoiding the shortest route. The enemy may have simply missed the raid altogether.

Well, to work out such a route, they had to fly much more than 530 km, since they launched drones not from the border line and they didn’t fly in a straight line. If they had to make a circle to approach from the east or north, that’s 700 kilometers minimum. So in this case the hunt turned out successful. As we remember, about ten days ago the Armed Forces attacked another enemy arsenal, and there things went with small fright. But this time everything went in smooth as a plum into… well, wherever it goes in such cases.

The Orcs Start Spinning Stories

First reports came from zealous Orcs, and here’s the first reaction:

The arsenal in Vladimir Oblast was most likely struck. But it’s still unclear exactly what weapon was used. According to our source in the Ministry of Defense, explosions at the 51st GRAU Arsenal in Kirzhach District of Vladimir Oblast most likely resulted from a strike. They haven’t yet determined the weapon that could have delivered it. They’re also considering other versions of the incident.

Something incomprehensible flew in, eyewitnesses heard a whistle. At the same time, air defense fighters detected nothing, so arson and other causes aren’t excluded. But I think there was an arrival – our interlocutor at the ministry told us. According to preliminary information, unfortunately there are over 10 dead among military personnel. They’ll clarify this data, as well as losses in weapons that occurred as a result of the incident. At the same time, sources claim: shortly before the explosions, they brought a batch of missiles and shells to the arsenal. Therefore treason and sabotage aren’t excluded.

Pay attention to the last part of the message. They brought missiles there shortly before the explosions. That means they were unloading missiles, which means not only guards were at the arsenal but also service personnel who were actually doing the unloading, plus reception and processing of ammunition. So there were definitely more than 10 bodies right in the explosion’s epicenter. On the other hand, such powerful explosions typically don’t leave anything from personnel at the scene.

Perfect Timing for Maximum Damage

But the remark that the 51st GRAU Arsenal hit came exactly at the right moment when storage facilities were open and part of the ammunition possibly still sat on delivery vehicles is very telling. It’s understandable, since such goods must be stored in reinforced concrete shelters, and getting them through concrete is quite a task. Different thing when it arrives on ammunition in open terrain with shelters open. In this case, secondary detonation creates the main noise. But to ensure this, you need to know precisely what, where, and most importantly — when the enemy will bring it.

If the Armed Forces managed to hit the elite GRAU arsenal so successfully, then a certain thought arises about what could be done so that Pootin wouldn’t crawl out of his toilet. As stated above, the shortest distance from today’s attacked GRAU arsenal to Ukraine’s border is 530 kilometers. Meanwhile, the shortest distance from Ukraine’s border to moscow is a hundred kilometers less. And if you can trust enemy sources, the same air defense system covers both the arsenal and moscow. Thus, purely mechanically it’s much closer to reach moscow, but it’s clear that in the capital they built the maximum possible anti-aircraft system in nodes.

¹Orcs – a common term for Russians who support or participate in the armed aggression against Ukraine. Dehumanizing? Yes. Accurate? Also yes.

²Swamps – an ironic name for Russia, emphasizing decay, stagnation, and filth. The Commander of the USF, Robert Browdie, and most soldiers use this word.