RUSSIAN MILITARY AIRBASE IN ANNEXED CRIMEA ROCKED BY EXPLOSIONS

Wed 10 August 2022:

Several explosions at a Russian air base in Crimea may have been the result of partisan sabotage, a top Ukrainian official has speculated. Kyiv denied responsibility for the attack in the Russian-occupied area that left at least one person dead and eight injured.

Another theory put out by Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, regarding the origin of the explosions was Russian negligence.

This video shot near the Novofedorivka air base in Crimea show two practically simultaneous, separate explosions. The Russian claim that there was an explosion of ammunition at the base, causing secondary explosions, is thus likely false. pic.twitter.com/Irnin3JQQY

— Euan MacDonald (@Euan_MacDonald) August 9, 2022

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said the “detonation of several aviation ammunition stores” had caused an explosion at the Saki air base on the west coast of the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 and used in February as it began its invasion of the rest of the country. It said there had been no attack and no aviation equipment had been damaged.

The Reuters news agency cited witnesses saying they had heard at least 12 explosions around 3:20pm local time (12:20 GMT) from the base near Novofedorivka.

Sunbathers were seen running away from a neighboring beach in unverified footage that were uploaded to social media. Huge plumes of smoke from the explosions were visible in the distance.

Russia’s defense ministry said an explosion at a Russian military airbase in Crimea had been caused by a detonation of aviation ammunition, and that there had been no casualties, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. Video ⬇️ https://t.co/hQKVwvljHC 3/6 pic.twitter.com/5sJcAtopQZ

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 9, 2022

Zelenskyy did not directly mention the blasts in his daily video address on Tuesday but said it was right that people were focusing on Crimea.

“We will never give it up… the Black Sea region cannot be safe while Crimea is occupied,” he said, reiterating Kyiv’s position that Crimea should be returned to Ukraine.

If the Ukrainians did indeed strike the base, it would be the first known major attack on a Russian military site on the Crimean Peninsula, as well as a significant escalation of the conflict.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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