According to the leader of the regional government in Crimea that Russia installed, one person has died as a result of explosions that rocked a military installation there.
On social media, Sergei Aksyonov claimed that the explosions had happened at the Saky military post close to Novofedorivka on the peninsula’s western shore.
Multiple explosions seemed to be seen on social media footage.
Later, according to the Russian defense ministry, munitions exploded; however, this claim has not been independently corroborated.
According to the ministry, there was no “fire impact” on the space used for storing munitions, according to the state-run Ria news agency in Russia.
Russian tourists often visit the Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, and one video appeared to show vacationers running from a beach as smoke rose in the background.
Earlier, the Ukrainian military sarcastically posted a message on Facebook warning Russia of its “fire safety laws and the restriction of smoking in unstable locations,” alluding to the loss of the Moskva warship and other military defeats.
In his evening video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky focused on Crimea but avoided specifically mentioning the explosions.
In a social media video, Mr. Zelensky stated, “Crimea is Ukrainian, and we will never give it up.”
He continued by saying that the conflict “began with Crimea and must conclude with Crimea – with its liberation”, implying that he thinks Ukraine must reclaim the peninsula before the war can be declared over.
In March 2014, Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine following a referendum that the international community deemed invalid. After unidentified Russian forces gained control of many key strategic positions around the peninsula, the vote was swiftly organized.
Months of pro-European demonstrations earlier that year resulted in the overthrow of the Russian-backed president of Ukraine.
Moscow began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 of this year, using Crimea as a launchpad to advance Russian forces farther into Ukrainian territory.
The Black Sea Fleet of Russia, which has been directing a blockade of the Ukrainian shoreline, is based at the port city of Sevastopol, which is roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Novofedorivka and Saky.
The invasion of Crimea would signal a sharp uptick in tension
It would be a dramatic escalation if it turned out that Ukraine was behind this strike. It would be the first such assault on a target within the actual Crimea.
The Ukrainians have gotten very close: in June 2022, the “leader” of Crimea installed by Russia claimed that Ukrainian soldiers had fired on platforms for drilling oil in the Black Sea while they were in the Crimean seas, inflicting numerous deaths. And at the end of July, Russian authorities said that a drone had hit a Russian naval base in Sevastopol, inflicting six injuries.
Although Russia has controlled the peninsula for eight years and has extremely well-established political institutions and military infrastructure there, Crimea is recognized internationally as Ukrainian territory.
Crimea is seen by the Kremlin as “historically” Russian territory that Moscow joyfully “re-acquired” in 2014. A strike thus far into Crimean territory would cause President Putin great humiliation.
Additionally, there are worries that Russia may respond in a very serious way if the Ukrainians start striking Russian sites on a regular basis inside of Crimea. Deputy Chairman of the influential Security Council and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated last month that if Crimea were attacked, then “All those [involved] will face judgment right away. It will happen quickly and hard.”
