08/09/2022 18:50 (act 08/09/2022 19:06)
Videos showed large clouds of smoke after the Crimea blasts. ©Portal/Stringer
According to local and Moscow sources, an ammunition dump at an air force base on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia, exploded.
Videos circulating on social media also showed explosions and large clouds of smoke on Tuesday, which were said to have been recorded near the town of Nowofyodorovka, not far from the resort town of Yevpatoria. One person was killed, Crimea chief Sergei Aksjonov said, according to Russian agencies.
One dead after blasts in Crimea, Ukraine
First it was said that there were no victims. Tourists fled the area. Aksyonov said an area within a five-kilometer radius around the base would be isolated. He did not comment on the cause of the explosion. Observers assumed an act of sabotage because Ukrainian troops are more than 200 kilometers away. According to previous reports, the Ukrainian army does not currently have missiles with this range. A Russian Defense Ministry source cited a violation of fire safety rules at the base as the most likely cause. There is no indication of outside influence.
Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. In the course of the war of aggression that began in late February, Moscow has repeatedly demanded that Crimea be recognized as Russian territory – which Kyiv clearly rejects. Also internationally, the peninsula with its more than two million inhabitants continues to be considered Ukrainian territory.