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Ukraine war
March 21, 2023 | 3:52 p.m
Russian “Kalibr” cruise missiles were destroyed in an explosion while being transported by train to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in annexed Crimea, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Monday night.
Ukrainian authorities did not claim responsibility for the attack, but said the attack was intended to induce Russia to leave the Black Sea Peninsula, which it illegally stole from Ukraine in 2014.
“At the moment, the way forward (for Russian forces in Crimea) is clear – they must already set off by rail,” said Natalia Humeniuk, spokeswoman for Ukraine’s Southern Operations Command.
Missiles transported by rail were destroyed by an explosion at Dzhankoi, a key railway junction on the Crimean peninsula, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said late Monday.
The agency implied that Kyiv was behind the attack, saying the action promotes “the process of Russia’s demilitarization and prepares Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula for de-occupation.”
The missiles, intended to be fired from surface ships belonging to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, had a range of over 1,550 miles on land and 233 miles at sea, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said.
The Russian cruise missiles were transported by train to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.Twitter/Anton Gerashchenko Ukraine believes the attack was intended to persuade Russia to leave the Black Sea Peninsula. Twitter/Anton Gerashchenko
Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said Ukrainian drones had attacked civilian installations in Dzhankoi.
Ihor Ivin, the head of the Dzhankoi administration installed by Russia, said the city had been attacked by drones.
A 33-year-old man was injured by a downed drone.
He was taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries but is expected to survive.
Debris from the blast damaged power lines, a home, a store and a college building, Ivin said.
Missiles transported by rail were destroyed by an explosion in DzhankoiTwitter/Anton Gerashchenko
Oleg Kryunchkov, an adviser to Crimea’s head Sergei Aksenov, said all the drones were aimed at civilian targets.
“All drones were aimed at civilian sites. One was hit over the Dzhankoi technical school and came down between the teaching area and a student dormitory,” he said on his Telegram channel.
“There are no military bases nearby. The others were crushed in residential areas. In addition to explosives, everyone carried shrapnel.”
A Kalibr long-range cruise missile is fired from a Russian naval vessel in the eastern Mediterranean on Aug. 19, 2016.AP
A Russian military airfield is located near Dzhankoi, and many Ukrainian officials have claimed that the town and surrounding areas have developed into the largest Russian military base in Crimea.
With mail wires
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