According to Russia, no attack: explosions on annexed Crimean Peninsula

Several detonations shook a Russian air force base on the Crimean Peninsula, killing one person. According to Russian information, it was not a Ukrainian attack – an ammunition depot had exploded.

According to Russian sources, an ammunition depot at an air force base on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia, has exploded. Videos circulating on social networks also showed explosions and large clouds of smoke, which are said to have been recorded near the town of Nowofyodorovka, not far from the seaside resort of Feodosiya.

One person was killed, said Moscow-appointed Crimean governor Sergei Aksjonov, according to Russian agencies. Ambulances and rescue helicopters were sent to the air force base. According to authorities, more people were injured. The area was cordoned off in a radius of five kilometers, according to Aksjonow. He did not comment on the cause of the explosion.

Ministry: No shelling

The Russian Ministry of Defense initially said that there were no casualties and that combat aircraft had not been damaged. According to Russian news agencies, the ministry stressed that the Saky airbase was not shelled. Ammunition intended for the Luftwaffe had exploded on the site. A source in the Russian Defense Ministry told the dpa news agency that a violation of fire safety rules at the base was the most likely cause. There is no indication of an external influence.

So far, there has been no comment from the Ukrainian authorities. There had been speculation on social networks in Ukraine that Ukrainian missiles could be responsible for the explosions. In the event of a Ukrainian shelling, it would have been the first major attack on a Russian military facility in Crimea, which would have meant a significant escalation. According to previous reports, the Ukrainian army does not currently have missiles with the necessary range. Observers assumed an act of sabotage because the Ukrainian troops are more than 200 kilometers away.

Warning of attack on the peninsula

At the end of July, the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea in Sevastopol was attacked with a makeshift drone, for which the Russian side blamed Ukrainian “saboteurs”. The Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported that the incident had been classified as an act of terrorism. Moscow officials have warned that any attack by Ukraine on the peninsula would result in severe retaliation, including attacks on “decision centers” in Kyiv.

The air base enables Russian warplanes stationed there to attack areas in southern Ukraine within a short period of time. Crimea borders the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, which is now controlled by Moscow. The Zaporizhia region, which is partially occupied by Russian troops, is also not far.

Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014. In the course of the war of aggression that began at the end of February, Moscow repeatedly demanded that Crimea be recognized as Russian territory – which Kyiv clearly rejects. Internationally, too, the peninsula with its more than two million inhabitants continues to be regarded as Ukrainian territory.