(CNN) Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said late Monday that an attack destroyed Russian “Kalibr” cruise missiles being transported by train to the town of Dzhankoi in Russian-held Crimea.
Ukrainian authorities did not claim direct responsibility for the strike, but said it was intended to “further demilitarize Russia and prepare the Crimean Peninsula for de-occupation.”
Sergei Askyonov, Russia’s appointed head of the annexed peninsula, confirmed that there had been a strike and that the region’s air defense system had been activated. One person was injured and two buildings were damaged, Askjonov said.
Amateur video geolocated by CNN shows a large explosion and resulting fireball. A person from the off is heard saying that the strike has hit the train station. However, the video didn’t clearly show what was hit, and CNN couldn’t confirm the exact location of the blow.
Two of Russia’s main military airfields in Crimea are located in Dzhankoi and Gvardeyskoye, the British Ministry of Defense announced in 2022.
“Dzhankoi is also an important road and rail hub that plays an important role in supplying Russian operations in southern Ukraine,” it said.
Crimea also hosts an important port and a major naval base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol. Some of Russia’s most important warships are docked there, including surface ships armed with cruise missiles.
The US has previously accused Russia of using cruise missiles launched from ships in the Black Sea to hit civilian targets in Ukraine.
annexation of Crimea
Since the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2021, Ukraine has launched multiple attacks against Russian positions in Crimea and operations that the military said destroyed Russian Kalibr cruise missiles.
Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have repeatedly vowed to liberate the peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Zelenskyi previously stressed that for Ukrainians Crimea is “not just a territory” but “a part of our people, our society.”
The strike follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Crimea on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of its annexation. The visit, which also included a stop in Russian-held Mariupol, came just days after the International Criminal Court accused the Russian president of committing war crimes in Ukraine and issued an arrest warrant for him over an alleged plot to deport Ukrainians Children to Russia had adopted.
The ICC’s indictment is the first formally leveled against officials in Moscow since Moscow launched its unprovoked attack on Ukraine last year. The Kremlin has described the ICC’s actions as “outrageous and unacceptable”.
The strike comes as Putin receives Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow. During a meeting on Monday, Xi Putin said China and Russia have “similar goals” and expressed his support for Putin’s re-election. The war in Ukraine was raised in the opening hours of their meeting and is expected to be a key point of discussion during Xi’s three-day visit.