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By Maya Mehrara
News Reporter
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What's New
Two massive explosions took place near Russia's Arctic naval base last night and have consequently sparked theories online about what exploded and how as it is unclear, according to the independent Russian news outlet Agentstvo's Telegram post.
Residents of the cities of Murmansk and Safonovo, as well as the town of Severomorsk, in northwestern Russia reported feeling the strength of the explosions. These took place near the main naval base of the Russian Northern Fleet, located in Severomorsk, and two military airfields.
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Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for comment via email outside of business hours.
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Why It Matters
The explosions are significant because, although it is unknown what exploded or where exactly it took place, Russia has key military facilities and assets in the vicinity; the base in Severomorsk is a "hub for Russia's power in the Arctic," according to the news outlet Militarnyi.
If Ukraine struck one of the military facilities and destroyed assets in the explosion, then it could cost Russia both vast amounts of weapons and equipment and money for repairs.
What To Know
The Barents Observer, a Norwegian online news outlet, concluded from the video of the blast that the Severomorsk-1 military airfield was 13 kilometers [8 miles] from the shooting site, which is a base for Russian fighter jets, bombers and a squadron of Ka-27 helicopters. Other notable sites adjacent to the explosions include an open weapons depot 11 kilometers [7 miles] away, and several installations with mobile anti-aircraft missiles and antennas for electronic warfare. Another airfield, Severomorsk-2, that is shut down but currently being restored is also nearby.
Some have also speculated that the explosion of ammunition is what caused the blast to be so large. Military analyst Yan Matveyev spoke to Agentstvo about the explosions and said that the explosions could have occurred either "during the disposal of munitions or in the case of sabotage using mining."
As for what caused the explosion, it is still unknown, although Matveyev did not rule out the use of UAVs. However, he said that the explosion in the video did not match that of what usually takes place when drones are used, "Usually it happens like this: a drone arrives, a fire starts, then the ammunition explodes, but here there was no fire. But if the ammunition was lying on the street, it could have exploded right away."
The town of Severomorsk is 1,900 kilometers [1,180 miles] from the border with Ukraine.
Shortly after the attack on Russia's Arctic naval base took place, Moscow also launched a series of missiles at Ukraine's capital, in which five ballistic missiles and 40 of Russia's UAVs were shot down.
What People Are Saying
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote about the significance of the explosion site on Telegram: "Explosion near the base of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, Murmansk. This base provides the Russian Federation with the ability to control the Arctic sea routes and access to the Arctic Ocean. It supports both surface ships and nuclear submarines.
"Murmansk is home to command centers, ammunition depots, repair docks and fleet control points. Testing, including of the Zircon missiles, also takes place there. The direct distance from Murmansk to Ukraine is approximately 2,000 km [1,243 miles]. The ships of the Northern Fleet are carriers of the Kalibr missiles, which Russia has launched over the territory of Ukraine during the war. The Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation also performs reconnaissance missions and countering NATO forces with an eye on the Arctic."
What Happens Next
Depending on what weapons Ukraine may have used to attack the Arctic naval base, it may escalate the progression of the war, particularly if they are long-range.
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