A massive explosion and ensuing shock wave were captured in a video from Pavlograd, Ukraine. The blast was likely caused by a secondary detonation at a plant used for missile fuel and other highly explosive applications.
Locals have expressed concerns about the facility in the past. Videos posted on social media showed the explosions and their aftermath, with surrounding communities sustaining significant damage.
Reports suggest that Ukraine claimed to have downed 15 out of 18 Russian cruise missiles launched by Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers. However, three missiles reportedly evaded air defenses. Russians have claimed that the missiles targeted Ukrainian supplies for a looming counteroffensive, while Ukrainians state that a residential area and an industrial complex were hit.
“An industrial enterprise was damaged in Pavlograd,” Serhiy Lysak of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration said Monday on his Telegram channel. “A fire broke out there, which the rescuers have already put out. In the residential area, 19 high-rise buildings, 25 private houses, six schools and pre-school education institutions, and five shops were mutilated.”
After the Russian barrage, there were dozens of buildings damaged in the surrounding communities, including almost 40 residential buildings in Verbkivska.
“The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a long-range high-precision air and sea-based missile strike against Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities,” the Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) reported on its Telegram channel Monday. “The goal of the attack has been reached. All the assigned targets have been neutralized. The enterprises producing ammunition, weapons and military equipment for Ukrainian forces have been disrupted.”
This was the second devastating Russian missile strike on Ukraine in several days, following the first mass attacks on Ukrainian cities in more than a month. Officials in Kyiv reported that over 20 civilians, including at least four children, were killed in the first attack.
“The plant participates in tests of the rocket firing system with corrected ‘Alder-M’ [guided rockets] and anti-ship cruise missile Neptune,” according to the Ukrainian Dnipr Bridge media outlet. Domestically produced Neptune missiles were used to sink the Russian Navy’s Project 1164 Slava class cruiser Moskva.
The situation highlights the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which has escalated in recent weeks. The violence has caused significant harm to civilians, with both sides blaming each other for the attacks.
The international community has called for a de-escalation of the conflict, and diplomatic efforts are underway to resolve the issue. However, tensions remain high, and the situation in Ukraine remains volatile.
Keeping aside whatever statements both sides are giving, the explosions were massive and very powerful and since the cloud has blocked commercial satellite imagery of the area, it is impossible to figure out how much damage was done.
