New explosions occurred on Tuesday at a military base in the Russian-annexed Crimea region, which is a crucial supply route for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow denounced sabotage, and Ukraine hinted at responsibility.
According to Russian officials and news organisations, the explosions destroyed an ammunition storage at a Russian military installation in the north of the peninsula, delaying trains and requiring the evacuation of 2,000 people from a nearby village.
According to Russian officials and news organisations, the explosions destroyed an ammunition storage at a Russian military installation in the north of the peninsula, delaying trains and requiring the evacuation of 2,000 people from a nearby village.
The Russian website Kommersant reported that plumes of smoke were later spotted at a second Russian military base in central Crimea, while explosions struck a different location in the west last week.
In the event that pro-Kyiv militias are successful in guerrilla-style strikes or Ukraine is now able to strike deeper into Russian territory, the explosions highlighted the possibility of new dynamics in the six-month-old war.
In order to provide military equipment to its forces fighting in other parts of Ukraine, Russia has utilised Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014; this is a practise that Kyiv is determined to halt in preparation for a future counteroffensive in southern Ukraine.
The Black Sea Fleet of Russia has its headquarters in Crimea, which is also a well-liked summer vacation destination.
Video from Russian state TV appears to show that an energy substation also caught fire during the event on Tuesday. According to the Russian news agency RIA, rail activity on a portion of the line in northern Crimea has been interrupted and seven trains have been delayed.
An inquiry for comment from a we journalist was not promptly answered by the Ukrainian side. The most recent reports of shelling were not immediately verifiable by our journalists.