Russia blames the explosions on “sabotage”. Also last week in Crimea, several Russian warplanes were destroyed at a Russian airbase. Ukraine has neither admitted nor denied that it attacked Crimea.
On Tuesday morning, in the village of Maiske in the Džankoi region, an ammunition warehouse in the northern part of Crimea exploded.
The Dzhankoi region is located approximately 50 kilometers from the Russian-occupied Kherson region of southern Ukraine.
The governor of Crimea, which was taken over by Russia in 2014 Sergei Aksinov says that residents have been evacuated from nearby Maiske and the nearby village of Azovske. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the fire caused by the explosions damaged the power plant, power lines, railway tracks and some apartment buildings.
According to the Ministry of Defense, no one was seriously injured. Aksinov says that two people were injured.
According to Russia, the explosion at the ammunition depot was a case of sabotage, but it did not name who it suspects.
Later on Tuesday, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported, based on local eyewitness observations, about new explosions at the Hvardijsk airbase in the central parts of Crimea.
Ukraine neither admits nor denies
Ukraine has neither admitted nor denied that it attacked Crimea. A source in the Ukrainian administration, who remained anonymous, tells the newspaper For the New York Times (you will switch to another service)that the Ukrainian special forces were behind the attack.
Last week, explosions at the Saky airbase destroyed Russian warplanes based on satellite images. Anonymous Ukrainian sources have told the media that Ukrainian forces were behind last week’s attack.
Advisor to the President of Ukraine Myhailo Podoljak however, commented on Tuesday’s attacks on the messaging service Twitter with the words “demilitarization underway”. Podoljak appeared to be referring mockingly to Russia’s claims of demilitarization of Ukraine.
– Reminder: The Crimea of the ordinary country is all about the Black Sea, mountains, recreation and tourism, Podoljak writes.
– In Crimea, which is occupied by the Russians, there are warehouse explosions and a high risk of death for intruders and thieves.
– Crimea belongs to Ukraine, Yermak writes.
The AP news agency estimates that Ukraine’s culpability for the explosions would mean a significant escalation of the war started by Russia. Russia considers the Crimean peninsula as its own territory.
The Crimean peninsula has both strategic and symbolic importance for Ukraine and Russia. Russia has demanded that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia, while Ukraine has said that it seeks to return the region to itself.
The British Ministry of Defense says based on its military intelligence that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is increasingly in defensive positions off Crimea. The Ministry of Defense estimates that last week’s attacks weakened the aviation capabilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
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