War against Ukraine: Explosion at arms cache in Crimea

There has been another explosion on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia – apparently an ammunition depot has been affected. One person was killed in a detonation at a military airport just a week ago.

There has been another violent explosion on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. Russian media circulated a statement from the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, according to which the detonation occurred in a makeshift weapons storage facility.

The Crimean head of administration Sergei Aksyonov also confirmed the explosion in a video message published on Telegram. According to the authorities, a former farm in the village of Maiskoye in the northern region of Jankoye, which is used as an ammunition storage facility by Russian forces, was affected. A substation for the power supply is said to have caught fire. Video footage online showed a large fire and a plume of smoke. However, the information cannot be verified independently.

According to Aksyonov, two people were injured in the explosion. A five-kilometer security zone was set up around the suspected ammunition depot and evacuations were initiated.

A week ago already detonation at military airport

Just a week ago there were explosions at a military airport in Saki near the resort town of Nowofyodorovka in south-west Crimea. According to authorities, an ammunition depot was also affected by this detonation. According to this, one person was killed and at least 14 people were injured.

Cause of explosion unclear

Ukraine had denied responsibility for this explosion. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the base was not shelled. Instead, a violation of fire safety rules is the most likely cause of the explosion.

It is still unclear how the now reported detonation in Maiskoye could have happened. Neither the Russian Foreign Ministry nor the authorities in Crimea have commented on possible causes.