The reason for the explosions at the Russian air station in Crimea has been the subject of controversy due to its location some 200 kilometers from the combat lines.
Eleven people have been killed by Russian shelling in the central Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, according to the territory’s governor.
While people were resting in their houses, Valentyn Reznychenko stated that Russia had fired 80 rockets toward residential areas.
On Tuesday, a person was killed in a series of explosions at a Russian military air station near beach resorts on the seized Crimean peninsula, some 200 kilometers inside Russian-controlled territory.
Given that the rockets supplied with the US-donated HIMARS launcher systems are considered to have a range of approximately 85 kilometers, there have been questions regarding the source of the explosions.
There were rumors that missiles had struck the base, but Russia asserted that ammunition had exploded.
At 3.20 p.m. local time (1.20 p.m. BST), at least 12 explosions were reportedly heard at the Saky facility in Crimea.
Social media videos depicted people fleeing a beach as flames and smoke columns rose from various spots.
In addition, witnesses reported a fire on a runway and damage to surrounding homes, according to Crimea Today News on Telegram.
According to the Crimean health department, one citizen was murdered, another was hospitalized with moderate injuries, and five more sustained minor injuries.
In 2014, Russia invaded Crimea from Ukraine and used it as a springboard to invade its neighbor in February.
The station has been utilized by Russian airplanes to attack locations in southern Ukraine.
Moscow stated that the explosions were caused by the detonation of stored ammunition and were not the result of an attack.
According to an unnamed ministry official cited by Russia’s leading news media, “only a violation of fire safety rules is regarded to be the primary cause of the explosion of many munitions depots at the Saky airport.”
The source further stated, “There are no indications, proof, or facts (indicating) a planned attack on ammo stocks.”
However, Ukrainian social media suggested that the base was struck by long-range missiles fired from Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy declared through Telegram that the fight with Russia “began in Crimea and must end in Crimea – with its freedom.”
He continued, “Russia has transformed our peninsula, which has always been and will continue to be one of the nicest places in Europe, into one of the most hazardous areas in Europe.
However, we shall return to Crimea in Ukraine.
In a Facebook post that appeared mocking, the Ukrainian defense ministry stated, “The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine cannot determine the cause of the fire, but once again reminds everyone of the fire safety laws and the ban on smoking in certain areas.
It said, “We cannot rule out the possibility that the occupants will “accidentally” discover some identifying “insignia,” “visiting card,” or even “DNA.”
Since the beginning of the conflict, Russia has recorded several fires and explosions at munitions storage facilities on Russian territory near the Ukrainian border, attributing some of these incidents to Ukrainian strikes.
Ukraine has largely been silent.
Also on Wednesday, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence stated in its most recent intelligence report that Russian commanders continue to face the competing priorities of bolstering Moscow’s offensive in the Donbas and bolstering defenses against anticipated Ukrainian counterattacks in the south.
