Massive explosions near Severomorsk
There is no information made public that can tell what exploded inside the military boundaries south of the headquarters of Russia's Northern Fleet.
A video recording was posted Wednesday evening on social media in Murmansk of what appears to be a massive explosion in the horizon. The Barents Observer has geolocated the filming position from Skalnaya street No. 9, which is on the top of the hill in Oktyabrskiy District. The explosion, which lasts only a few seconds, can be seen in a distance of several kilometers to the north.
Here are dozens of military objects, including the Severomorsk-1 naval airbase and weapons' storages and bunkers.
Severomorsk-1 is 13 km from the location of the video-recording. The airbase is the second largest on the Kola Peninsula and accommodates both fighter jets, bombers and maritime surveillance aircraft. A squadron of Ka-27 helicopters is also located at the airfield.
At a distance of 11 km from the video recording is a outdoor weapons storage. This is some 2 km southwest from the end of the runway. To the northwest of Severomorsk-1 is several installations with mobile anti-aircraft missiles and antennas for electronic warfare.
Locals in Murmansk are debating on Vkontakte about what could have caused the massive explosions that shakes windows and walls in the district. One writes that the two explosions happened at 17.24 and 17.27 local time (15.24 and 14.27 CET).
"There were two explosions. I live in the Starostina Street, at the 8th floor. The house was shaking. It was terrible," a woman writes in a comment on a local social media channel.
The video on social media, however, show only one explosion.
There are no official reports about any plane crash or accidental explosions of weapons in the area.
Neither Ukraine, nor Russia, have posted any information about a possible drone attack, or downing of a drone in the area of Severomorsk. That said, Murmansk officials kept silent about several of Ukrainian drones that flew into the Kola Peninsula in July, August and September this year.
Severomorsk is nearly 1,900 km north of Russia's border with Ukraine.
Norwegian recorded sound
In Norway, the research foundation NORSAR is conducting seismic monitoring as part of an international network for observance of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Scientific Adviser Tormod Kværna says to the Barents Observer that no seismic activity was recorded in the area on Wednesday.
“… but we have a infrasound signal, that could be some kind of huge explosion, recorded at our station in Karasjok at 15.43 Norwegian time,” Kværna says.
Karasjok is in Finnmark region, northern Norway.
With the speed of sound, that fits well with the observations north of Murmansk 15 to 20 minutes earlier.
Recording of a sound, but no seismic event, could be an indication that the explosions happened up in the air, and not on the ground. The Northern Fleet has comprehensive anti-aircraft missile systems in the surroundings of Severomorsk aimed at shooting down incoming aircraft, cruise missiles and drones.
