GRAU Arsenals
Organizational overview of GRAU arsenals
The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU; Russian: Glavnoye Raketno-Artilleriyskoye Upravlenie) of the Ministry of Defence manages the procurement, storage, maintenance, accounting, and distribution of rocket and artillery armaments and ammunition across the Russian Armed Forces. Its network of numbered arsenals and central bases supports stockpiling, acceptance of new production, periodic inspection and servicing, life-extension, disposal of unserviceable items, and issuance to operational units. Arsenals are often described in Russian documentation as central artillery bases of ammunition and are positioned across military districts with rail and road access to the national logistics grid.
Administrative identifiers and the 55443 series
Russian tenders, court records, and other open documents frequently reference military unit 55443 with suffixes (e.g., 55443-48, 55443-BK, 55443-VK) in connection with GRAU arsenals. These suffixes function as administrative designators for specific arsenals or detachments under a centralized accounting and contracting structure. The Ministry of Defence does not publish an official public crosswalk for these codes; where open sources provide unambiguous mappings they are noted below, and where they do not, details are not provided due to lack of authoritative public confirmation.
40th Arsenal GRAU (military unit 55443-48) — Achinsk District, Krasnoyarsk Krai
Open-source reporting identifies the 40th Arsenal of GRAU at or near the settlement of Kamenka in Achinsky District, Krasnoyarsk Krai, with the local garrison associated with military unit 74008; Russian media attributed the 5 August 2019 mass explosion and fire to this facility, prompting large-scale evacuations and a further clearance-related detonation on 9 August 2019. The site functions as a storage and maintenance base for conventional artillery and rocket ammunition and is rail-connected to the regional network that links to the Trans-Siberian corridor. The appearance of the 55443-48 administrative code corresponds in open records to this arsenal; the internal coding scheme has not been publicly detailed by the Ministry of Defence.
67th Arsenal GRAU (military unit 55443-BK) — Skopinsky District, Ryazan Oblast
On 7 October 2020, a fire and explosions occurred at an ammunition depot near the village of Zheltukhino, Skopinsky District, Ryazan Oblast; official statements and media coverage referenced military unit 55443 at the scene, and open sources identify the facility as the 67th Arsenal of GRAU. Authorities reported that a grass fire reached an open storage area, triggering detonations and necessitating evacuations; subsequent remediation and clearance operations were conducted by Ministry of Defence specialists and emergency services. No authoritative public release provides the site’s detailed inventory or permanent garrison strength.
8th Arsenal GRAU (military unit 55443-SG)
The 8th Arsenal of GRAU is referenced in Russian administrative and employment records, and the 55443-SG suffix indicates subordination within the 55443 administrative structure; however, an authoritative, publicly verifiable location and technical description are not published. Without reliable primary sources, specific geographic, infrastructural, and inventory details cannot be provided.
51st Arsenal GRAU (military unit 55443-44)
The 51st Arsenal of GRAU appears in open Russian references in name only; no unambiguous, official public data confirms its geolocation, a distinct garrison number apart from the 55443 series, or a technical profile. In the absence of authoritative sources, detailed site attributes cannot be provided.
60th Arsenal GRAU (military unit 55443-KD)
Publicly accessible, authoritative sources do not disclose the precise location or technical configuration of the 60th Arsenal of GRAU. While the 55443-KD suffix indicates administrative linkage, specific site details, inventories, and command arrangements are not available for release in open sources; therefore, they cannot be provided here.
73rd Arsenal GRAU (military unit 55443-VK)
The 73rd Arsenal of GRAU is acknowledged in various open references, but a definitive, officially confirmed location and facility description are not published. Absent reliable, attributable primary data, detailed characteristics of this arsenal cannot be provided.
107th Arsenal GRAU (military unit 55443-42)
The 107th Arsenal of GRAU is listed in open references to GRAU infrastructure, yet authoritative public sources do not provide a confirmed geolocation, unit manning, or technical profile. Without verifiable public data, further specifics cannot be released.
Unspecified GRAU elements (military units 55443-RK, 55443-SV, 55443-SB)
The suffix-coded entries 55443-RK, 55443-SV, and 55443-SB appear in administrative and contractual contexts but are not publicly mapped to numbered arsenals or disclosed locations. No authoritative open-source material details their missions, inventories, or siting; additional specifics cannot be provided.
Infrastructure and capabilities typical of GRAU arsenals
GRAU arsenals generally comprise earth-covered magazines and revetted open pads for Hazard Division 1.1–1.4 munitions, rail spurs and loading platforms connected to the national 1520 mm network, covered storage for propellant charges and fuzes, inspection and maintenance workshops, explosive ordnance disposal and demilitarization facilities, ammunition test laboratories, and dedicated fire and emergency response assets including water reservoirs and foam-capable firefighting vehicles. Layouts incorporate traverses and separation distances consistent with Russian explosives safety standards and are typically established with exclusion and security zones.
Security and access control
Ammunition arsenals employ layered perimeter security with fencing and cleared zones, controlled entry points, guard forces, patrol roads, surveillance systems, and restricted-area controls; access is regulated by military pass regimes and internal orders. Detailed guard rosters, sensor configurations, and response protocols are not disclosed in public sources and therefore cannot be provided.
Notable safety incidents relevant to GRAU arsenals
Documented major incidents include the 5–9 August 2019 explosions at the 40th Arsenal near Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and the 7 October 2020 explosions at a depot in Skopinsky District, Ryazan Oblast associated with the 67th Arsenal; earlier large-scale ammunition depot incidents at Pugachevo, Udmurtia (102nd Central Artillery Base, June 2011) and Urman, Bashkortostan (99th Arsenal, May 2011) illustrate the hazards of legacy stockpiles and open storage. Public reports following such events typically do not include comprehensive inventories or technical cause analyses beyond initial official statements.
Logistics role within the Russian military supply chain
GRAU arsenals function as central nodes for the reception of new-production ammunition from industry, long-term storage, periodic serviceability checks, and onward distribution to district depots and unit-level storage via rail and road; they also accept returns for repair or disposal. Facilities such as the 40th and 67th Arsenals interface with major transport corridors, enabling high-throughput shipments when required, though exact throughput rates and stock levels are not publicly disclosed.
Information availability and limitations
The Ministry of Defence does not publish comprehensive public data on the locations, inventories, or detailed structures of GRAU arsenals. For several arsenals listed (8th, 51st, 60th, 73rd, 107th, and the 55443-RK, 55443-SV, 55443-SB entities), authoritative open sources do not permit precise geolocation or technical characterization; those details cannot be provided without access to non-public information.