Ukraine lights up Russia’s 67th GRAU arsenal
Russian ammunition depots and high-value radar systems are now coming under Ukraine’s target.
Last night, Ukraine’s drones targeted a Russian ammunition depot in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast. This is one of the larger Russian warehouses situated near the Ukrainian border, just 114 kilometers away.
But it remains a crucial warehouse. It spans 3.5 square kilometers, is located on a key rail route, and reportedly housed North Korean shipments. As shown in the map above, the warehouse is less than 100 km from the Russia-Ukraine frontline in Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine played this strategically.
They left this ammo depot, which was so close, untouched until they had taken out larger ones in the Russian towns of Toropets (over 400 km away) and Tikhoretsk (over 300 km away). The depot in Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar, was one of Russia’s three largest ammunition storage facilities and the primary site for holding North Korean weapons.
Despite Ukraine’s recent attacks on three separate ammunition depots, the Russians still haven’t adjusted their strategy. They’re still storing ammunition in the open air.
After last night’s attack on the Russian ammo depot in Karachev, multiple military bloggers reported secondary explosions, pointing to ammunition stored in the open air as the cause of the chain of explosions.
It’s astonishing to see Russian forces take no meaningful steps to protect their ammunition storage sites, despite knowing they are prime targets for Ukraine. There aren’t many of these depots, and yet Russia hasn’t reinforced their air-defense systems. They haven’t deployed mobile air-defense units.
They’ve set up over-water platforms to host Pantsir air-defense units to protect the Kerch Bridge, but lack the manpower to safeguard the tens of thousands of munitions their ground forces desperately need.
This highlights the flawed decision-making within the Russian armed forces. It’s a top-heavy structure. Making the case to protect the Kerch Bridge and finding air-defense assets for that purpose is easy because it’s a directive from the top. But protecting ammo depots in Toropets, Tikhoretsk, and Karachev is left to local commanders and depot heads.
As a result, Ukraine will continue to exploit these weaknesses in Russia’s rear lines. Ukraine isn’t just targeting ammunition depots; they’ve also been taking out Russia’s high-value radar systems. Last week, Ukraine destroyed its fourth Nebo-M radar station this year.
Russia’s Nebo-M radar system is a highly advanced, mobile, multi-band radar used for early warning, detecting, and tracking threats before they reach Russian airspace.
The Nebo-M radar is designed to be a crucial part of Russia’s integrated air defense system. It can seamlessly share data with missile defense systems like the S-400, S-300, and Pantsir , enabling these systems to engage targets with greater accuracy using real-time tracking information. Each unit comes with a hefty price tag of $100 million. Before the war, Russia likely had around ten to twelve of these systems. Now, they’re approaching half the capacity they started with.
I understand the frustration many of us feel — everything seems to take time, and we all want Ukraine to reach the finish line quickly. But wars are hard-fought, and the consistent blows Ukraine is delivering aren’t meaningless. It was a similar strategy of chipping away at the margins that allowed Ukraine to neutralize Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which was once meant to dominate Crimea but is now too fearful to operate in its own waters.
Ukraine’s progress was built over a year of persistent effort, starting with the capture of offshore oil rigs in the western Black Sea in September 2023. From there, step by step, they neutralized Russian air defenses in Crimea, paving the way for precision strikes with Storm Shadow missiles. It took months, but the results are clear for all to see.
Long-range strikes have immense value.
While Ukraine might not yet have full clearance from the West, they’re developing their own long-range missiles. In the coming months, they’ll receive two squadrons of French Mirage jets, along with trained pilots. Ukraine is now focused on blinding Russia’s surveillance systems as much as possible, so when those jets and pilots are ready, they’ll be able to achieve their objectives.
Thanks for reading. The war is getting closer to the end. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to make critical information about Ukraine accessible. That’s why I’ve made 300 stories available to the public in 2024, including this one.
