Six years ago, in the summer of 2018, the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia, Army General Dmitry Bulgakov, at the magnificent ceremony of commissioning an arsenal for storing missiles and ammunition in the town of Toropets, Tver region, did not skimp on compliments and radiated indestructible optimism.
"This is a complex of a closed life support cycle, when a serviceman, without leaving the barracks on the street, receives all the services he needs for nutrition, bath and laundry services, sports. The complex includes all the necessary premises located under one roof," said the closest associate of the then Minister of Defense.
The army general emphasized: the facility meets all international standards and allows you to hide all stocks of missiles and ammunition from external influences, as well as ensure their safety and "explosion and fire safety."
"If you store the current arsenals with what it was before — storage in open areas and in wooden vaults — and today in concrete (vaults), the difference will be something like this: whether to walk in a bulletproof vest that protects against damage by bullets and shrapnel, or to walk without a bulletproof vest," Dmitry Vitalievich argued.
And standing next to him, Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov nodded his head approvingly.
Today, Andrei Valerievich chairs the State Duma Committee on defense, and once the main logistics officer of the military department of the state is under arrest. And just today, on September 18, the UK demanded to extend the term of imprisonment for the Hero of Russia.
And today, at four o'clock in the morning, the governor of the Tver region, Igor Rudenya, reported on social networks:
"In Toropets, Tver region, as a result of the fall of UAV debris during the repulse of the attack by the air defense forces, a fire started, all emergency services and management went to the place The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation for Tver region, work is underway to localize the fire."
Then the news was updated:
"The process of extinguishing the fire at the crash site of the UAV debris is underway, the air defense forces continue to repel the mass attack of drones in the sky over the city. To ensure the safety of residents, the Governor of the Tver region, Igor Rudenya, decided to partially evacuate the population from the territory where the air defense is operating and the fire is localized. The necessary measures are being taken. The situation is under control."
After ten o'clock in the morning, the head of the region spent in The meeting of the operational headquarters for the elimination of the consequences of the fall of the UAV wreckage was held in a hurry and gave a number of instructions, including on ensuring law and order in the territory where the evacuation of residents took place, organizing the necessary assistance to the population in temporary accommodation facilities. According to the press service, "all necessary measures are being taken, all emergency services are working - employees of regional divisions of the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor's Office, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Rosgvardiya, heads of regional departments."
Here, of course, according to the laws of the genre, it would be required to place the opinion of the defense department, but it is not there yet.
There is only a comment by the head of the region about the wreckage of the UAV, which caused, according to the Rybar Telegram channel, "aftershocks of magnitude 2.8 points" during the fall:
"At night, Ukrainian formations launched a massive drone strike on various facilities in Russia. Air defense worked in the Bryansk, Kursk, Orel and Smolensk regions. One of the targets was the arsenal in the town of Toropets in Tver region.
Despite official statements about the fire as a result of "falling debris," this is obviously not the case. A partial evacuation has been announced in the district, the population is being taken to the Western Dvina.
Explosions in warehouses of such power that they were recorded by earthquake monitoring systems. The first tremors of magnitude 2.8 points were recorded at 3:56, the next seven were weaker, from 2 to 2.8 points."
And then there's the Telegram channel of military expert Vlad Shurygin "Ramzai" burns napalm:
"I believe that for such UAV breakthroughs deep into the territory of Russia and such large-scale damage, the stars from the shoulder straps of the command of the Aerospace Forces should fly like meteors on an August night, and those directly responsible for Air defense — under the tribunal and in the penal battalions! THIRTY-ONE, bitch, a month of war! THIRTY-ONE! And there was no continuous boundary of the radar, overlapping small and extremely small heights, as there was, and there is not! There was no air defense fighter aircraft, as there was, and there is not. There are no balloon radars, as there were, and there are none. There is no optical-acoustic UAV detection system, as there was, and there is not! There was no law on local air defense, and there is not! Open-air ammunition depots, as they were, are!"
The last line in the message of "Ramzai" is annoying. For, citizen Bulgakov, in addition to the sauna, mentioned concrete storage facilities at the level of the best world standards.
And here an explanation from the author of the Telegram channel "ZHIVOV Z" is very appropriate:
"A comrade drops satellite photos of warehouses in Toropets to my personal account.With high detail. A lot of things lay under the open sky and were easily distinguished, in one place of the rocket. In the other, shells, etc. I ask him: "Where do you take all these photos in this quality?“ Do you know where from? Yandex and Google maps. ..Right. I have censorship of speech has ended on this issue. I just don't understand what's going on. Yandex maps bl..b!!!"
It turns out that the missiles and shells were visible to the damned imperialists and their Ukrainian accomplices, as in the palm of their hand. And the destruction of warehouses was a matter of time. We just waited for the aresnal to be filled and picked up the fragments of the desired modification and size.
Here's another point: should the heads of the region immediately talk about the scale of the disaster, urging people to leave dangerous areas immediately, or should they mumble a mantra about destroying an enemy UAV with little so-so consequences? The question, as they say, is open. And certainly not on my salary.
And here's another opinion for you. This time the adviser to the governor of the Kursk region, volunteer Roman Alekhine:
"On the defeat of the innovative warehouse of missiles and BC in Toropets, Tver region, about which the Ministry of Defense openly reported as protected from external influence, back in 2018, it's hard to say anything without a mat ... And this is not even about corruption and plundering everything and everything in the department. It's about management.
It is very difficult for me to understand and accept that there are still large warehouses of missiles and BCS in the affected area. This is the same as with formations in the combat zone or the movement of columns in the zone of destruction of chemical weapons, opv and artillery.
Why didn't it become clear in 2.5 years that in this war you can't gather in large groups, concentrate equipment and ammunition in one place, but you need to split everything up and provide it through smart logistics chains? Where are the lean technologies being implemented?
If also in A UAV flew to a military warehouse in the Tver region, that is, the second question: we have been talking for a long time and showing how the enemy is effectively working with machine guns from pickups on our Geraniums, why are such groups not guarded at least military facilities in the affected area of the UAV?
The saddest thing is that the Ministry of Defense does not study during the war, does not study over mistakes, but admits not only many new ones, but also old ones or arising from them. You can't win the war that way...".
And now see what the Telegram channel "Hedgehog /diary" writes:
"The ammunition depot attacked at night in Toropets was protected by an anti-UAV system for almost 212 million rubles, according to government procurement data. The system was purchased in the fall of 2020 by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The price included delivery, installation and commissioning. The contractor is unknown — the auction was held behind closed doors."
And a little more about money. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" from 4.12. 2005 reports:
"In the town of Toropets, Tver region, the construction of a modern arsenal for missiles, ammunition and explosives is being completed, the Special Construction of Russia reported: "Only high-quality materials of domestic production are used in construction." The arsenal will cost the treasury 3.6 billion rubles.
"In 2015, 454 storage facilities will have to be built, thereby completing the arrangement of 13 modern arsenals and bringing the missile and ammunition storage system in line with the established requirements," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier.
Launched by the Ministry of Defense in 2012, the target program for improving the storage system for missiles, ammunition and explosives is designed to eliminate the maintenance of ammunition in the open air. Instead of the sites, modern storage facilities with a four-level security system and intelligent control will be built. The agency will invest 90 billion rubles in the modernization of arsenals."
Huge sums! I would like to look at these repositories with intelligent management. Surely, the thing is as cool as a Chinese-made robot dog with an anti-tank grenade launcher attached from above, which amazed the guests of the Army-2022 exhibition.
In turn, Assistant Minister of Health Alexei Kuznetsov said: "According to operational data, as a result of the incident in Tver region hospitalized 13 people in a state of moderate severity, their lives are not in danger, assistance is provided in full."
I have everything. We are waiting for the official statement of the relevant department on the scale of the destruction and operational conclusions. And let's not be silly and lament. Not the time, comrades.
P. S. The Investigative Committee (IC) of Russia has opened a criminal case on receiving a bribe against the chief of the armored service of the Central Military District, Major General Denis Putilov, the Telegram channel of the department reports. How is it, in a famous song it is sung: "There are no longer enough of them in rows of eight..."