Russia suffers biggest ammo losses due to its own negligence — UK intel

This is stated in an intelligence report dated May 14.

According to British intelligence, on April 22, a powerful explosion hit an ammunition depot of the 51st Russian Missile and Artillery Directorate near the city of Kirzhach in the Vladimir region, triggering a large-scale detonation of the storage site.

The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation reports that the warehouse held around 105,000 tons of various types of ammunition, including ballistic, air-to-ground, and anti-aircraft missiles, artillery shells, and small arms destined for the front in Ukraine.

Satellite images released by British intelligence show that the explosions damaged over one square kilometer of the site — indicating the loss of one of the Russian military’s key logistics hubs.

The analysis also notes that unstable or unexploded ammunition may have been scattered outside the site, posing a risk to civilians.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the explosion was caused by a fire that led to detonation. But British intelligence believes it was likely due to improper storage and ongoing safety failures in the Russian military.

This fits a long-standing pattern of Russia being unable to safely manage its own weapons, the report said.

British intelligence adds that this was likely Russia’s biggest loss of ammunition caused by its own actions since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.