Russia Stored Ammunition from the DPRK and More There: What is Known About the Tikhoretsk Depot

Russia stored ammunition from the DPRK there and more: what is known about the Tikhoretsk warehouse Yaroslav Pogonchuk

What is known about the composition of “Tikhoretsk”/Collage 24 Channel

The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a powerful strike on the Tikhoretsk ammunition depot on the night of September 21. It is known to have been an important strategic facility for storing North Korean missiles.

Since the fall of 2023, there has been a significant increase in activity at Tikhoretsk, in particular, the number of new container and railcar liners has increased. This was reported by the Beyond Parallel project.

What is known about the Tikhoretsk depot

On October 13, 2023, the White House confirmed that the Tikhoretsk ammunition depot is a storage site for North Korean ammunition.

Since the fall of 2023, there has been a sharp increase in activity there. Until that time, the Tikhoretsk depot was used to store and service artillery ammunition, artillery systems, and related equipment.

It is known that the facility is protected by a multi-layered security fence with guard towers and covers about 2.6 square meters. The depot is also served by a railway line from a small railway station in Tikhonky, which is 3 kilometers to the north. It is also unclear what connection exists between the Tikhoretsk ammunition depot and the Tikhoretsk air base.

What functional areas are there in the depot

A satellite image taken on August 16, 2023 showed that the Tikhoretsk ammunition depot has two main functional areas: a command center and a storage area. The headquarters area includes administrative and technical buildings, as well as premises for servicing vehicles, a communications center and open storage facilities.

The warehouse area consists of four closed warehouses, 27 lined warehouses, two small storage tanks and open parks for storing equipment. An important component is the access line to the railway mainline, which allows for the efficient loading and unloading of ammunition and artillery systems.

As of August 16, there were approximately 27 railway cars of various types, as well as a modest number of storage/shipping containers and trailers located along the railway line and the main access road.

How the amount of ammunition at the Tikhoretsk depot has changed

Satellite imagery from December 20, 2023 revealed a significant increase in the number of new liners for shipping containers at the Tikhoretsk depot ammunition.

The warehouse received approximately 280 new storage spaces, of which approximately 50% were filled, which may indicate the possible storage of various classes of ammunition for numerous military units.

The number of rail cars at the facility tripled to approximately 90. The number of shipping containers, trailers, and civilian vehicles, particularly trucks, approaching the facility also increased.

At the same time, data from February 10, 2024 showed a moderate decrease in the number of rail cars to 80, along with the occupancy of the new storage spaces, which was approximately 35%. Despite this, activity on the territory of the warehouse remained high.

Were there DPRK ammunition at the Tikhoretsk warehouse?

The Defense Express publication emphasizes that Tikhoretsk is of critical importance for the enemy's southern and eastern military formations. Current satellite imagery shows an increase in munitions shelters in the area between 2022 and 2024, indicating that the munitions concentration may have exceeded the norm.

It is also noted that Russian forces delivered munitions provided by North Korea to Base 719.

In January 2024, OSINT analysts from Frontelligence Insight investigated the routes of munitions transported from the DPRK. The base in the Tikhoretsk area, along with a warehouse near the village of Yegorlitskoye in the Rostov region and Mozdok in North Ossetia, was where they were stored.

The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Andrei Kovalenko, also confirmed that the warehouse in the Tikhorsky district of Russia stored North Korean KN23 ammunition, as well as artillery shells and ammunition for the Smerch.