New satellite images of an ammunition and explosives depot in the western Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi show that most of the infrastructure has disappeared from the map. Yesterday, videos were released one after the other showing a huge ball of fire rising into the skies above the outskirts of the city. The destruction was definitely the result of the detonation of the ammunition depot.
The image was captured by Planet Labs and was taken on Monday morning, which is today. It shows the damaged storage area, which really changed dramatically after the massive explosion. Note that the warehouse was 800 meters wide.
Reports describe that the warehouse was attacked by drones, while due to the shock wave of the explosion, many people were injured and many buildings were damaged.
Apart from reports of a drone strike, the exact weapon that caused this devastating strike is still unknown. Russia has previously targeted similar storage sites in eastern Ukraine less than two weeks earlier. The attack then caused similar destruction, leaving a giant crater in the ground where the Ukrainian munitions were located.
What exactly was stored at the site is unknown so far. Ammunition and explosives dating back to the Cold War era were most likely stored there, however some believe newer munitions were at the site, procured by the Ukrainians for the ongoing war.
Regardless, Russia appears to be targeting these infrastructures to destroy Western equipment and materials that Kiev has been supplying for the past year. It exploits the explosive content of these weapons to detonate huge and very destructive explosions, just like what happened yesterday in the western Ukrainian city.
Some Russian media speculate that one of the two Patriots recently received by Ukraine was being stored at this point. As we know, Kiev procured one such anti-aircraft missile system from the US and another from Germany. The fact that the city of Khmelnytskyi is located in the western part of Ukraine makes the Russian speculation quite reasonable, but so far nothing is certain.
Fears of British Depleted Uranium Munitions on Point
This is also stated by the former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Vitaly Mosychuk, commenting on the recorded increase in radiation in this area. "I don't know if there were really depleted uranium missiles in the destroyed ammunition depot in Khmelnytskyi."
But since our government is silent, I would recommend the local residents to remove the children from there,” continues Mosijchuk. Previously, Ukrainian emergency services reported that on May 12, the radiation level in the Khmelnytsky district jumped from 80-100 to 140-160 nanosieverts, as reported by the Ukrainian portal SaveEcoBot.
As you can see from the videos, the explosion was captured from various angles, all showing the same devastating effect. Inside they also provided maps with the location of the city in Ukraine, as well as the exact location of the warehouse in the city.
