Is this the result of an action by the Ukrainian army or new evidence of the weaknesses of the Kremlin army? What is certain is that the rear bases of the Russian armed forces continue to be affected. Several explosions occurred near a Russian military airfield in western Crimea on Tuesday, killing one person. Russian authorities said they happened at an ammunition dump.
Videos posted to social media showed a fireball forming after a large explosion, while plumes of thick black smoke billowed into the sky, more than 200km from the front line. “Several ammunition intended for aviation exploded at a depot on the territory of the Saki airbase near the city of Novofyodorovka,” the Russian army said in a statement.
Huge explosion at the military airport in Novofedorivka in Russian-occupied Crimea. Approximately 200 km (over 120 miles) from the front.pic.twitter.com/8POh6yNhmq
— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) August 9, 2022
The deposit in question was not the target of gunfire or bombing, she assured, without specifying the origin of those explosions. The Russian army had initially assured that there were no injuries in the explosions. But later in the day, Crimea’s leader Sergey Aksionov reported one death. “Unfortunately, one person was killed. I send my deepest condolences to his loved ones,” Mr. Aksionov wrote on Telegram.
For his part, Crimean Health Minister Konstantin Skorupski said that five people were injured, including a child. According to local authorities, 30 people were evacuated from Novofyodorovka. Shortly before, the local authorities had announced that there had been “several explosions” near the military airfield, without explaining the cause.
Crimea, an ultra-strategic territory for Russia
“Russia has declared a state of emergency in Crimea (Ukrainian territory it occupied and annexed in 2014). The pro-Russian channels are in turmoil (even if the official authorities deny any human loss), the lawyer and military historian Cédric Mas reports on Twitter, justification document.
Crimea, a peninsula annexed to Ukraine by Moscow in 2014, has been at the forefront of the Russian military offensive against its Ukrainian neighbor since the end of February. Russian planes take off from Crimea almost daily to attack targets in regions controlled by Kyiv, and several areas of this peninsula are within range of Ukrainian weapons and drones.
Despite the conflict, Crimea has remained a major vacation spot for many Russians, who continue to enjoy the summers on its beaches. “Tourists are not in danger. We ask you to remain calm,” said a Russian MP elected in Crimea, Alexei Tcherniak.