Explosions occur near base of Russia's Northern Fleet in Murmansk – video
Residents of Murmansk and Severomorsk, located 12 km away, reported two powerful explosions on the evening of Wednesday, 19 December. Media reports indicate that they could have occurred in the area of the main naval base of the Russian Northern Fleet.
Source: Russian news agency Agentstvo; Andrii Kovalenko, Head of Centre for Countering Disinformation, on Telegram
Details: The explosions were recorded at around 17:30, and a video was later posted on social media.
The Barents Observer, a Norwegian news outlet, reported that the site shown in the video is located 13 km from the Severomorsk-1 military airfield, which is home to a squadron of fighters, bombers and Ka-27 helicopters.
Поблизу бази Північного флоту РФ у Мурманську пролунали вибухи pic.twitter.com/IwK6b9wXt6
— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) December 19, 2024
An open weapons depot is situated 11 km away from the site, and to the northwest of Severomorsk-1, there are several installations containing mobile anti-aircraft missiles and electronic warfare antennas.
Media reports suggest that the explosion in the video resembles the detonation of a large quantity of ammunition.
Update: Later, Andrii Kovalenko said that the Murmansk base allows Russia to control Arctic sea lanes and provides access to the Arctic Ocean. It supports both surface ships and nuclear submarines.
Quote from Andrii Kovalenko: "Murmansk is home to command centres, ammunition depots, repair docks and fleet control centres. It is also the place of testing, particularly for Zircon missiles. The direct distance from Murmansk to Ukraine is approximately 2,000 kilometres.
The Northern Fleet ships are carriers of Kalibr missiles, which Russia has been launching against Ukraine during the war. The Russian Northern Fleet also carries out reconnaissance and countermeasures against NATO forces with an eye to the Arctic."
Background: On 18 December, a double-decker passenger and freight train collided in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, causing seven carriages to derail, specifically three passenger cars and four freight cars.
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