The explosions that rocked a Russian air base in annexed Crimea triggered the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. Authorities did not specify the cause of the blaze, but some Russian media reported that detonations were heard in the area, and footage showed columns of black smoke in the sky. The fire also closed a nearby highway, and authorities said they planned to temporarily evacuate residents of four villages that adjoin the military field in the Kirovske district. The Russian-backed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, announced the move on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia has expanded its forces in Crimea since annexing the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, and occasional sabotage has occurred on the Russian side of the border. Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the attacks, which Kyiv denies.
A Ukrainian official urged the public to avoid traveling to Crimea but said there had been no casualties from the blasts at the Saki air base near Novofedorivka, which he described as accidental. A witness said at least 12 explosions could be heard. A video posted on the Rybar Telegram channel showed plumes of black smoke in the sky.
The news comes days after Ukraine used waterborne drones to attack the Kerch bridge, a critical military supply artery from mainland Russia to annex Crimea. The explosions and fires destroyed large portions of the bridge and came to a complete halt. Car traffic stopped, and long lines formed at a ferry crossing to mainland Ukraine.
There have been no official claims of responsibility for the Kerch Bridge attack. Still, a pro-Kremlin website suggested Ukraine had launched the drones in response to the firing of a Russian tugboat that Ukraine accused of illegally entering its territorial waters. The site also suggested that the Ukrainian military had sabotaged railway tracks, though there was no official confirmation of such claims.
An official with Ukraine’s state security service said three of the dead were truck drivers, one of them a 40-year-old who had traveled to Crimea from Ukraine for a summer vacation. The two women who died were in their 20s and had chest and brain injuries. Their names have not been released.
Ukrainian officials said that the blasts and explosions that hit the base and then spread to adjacent villages caused damage and frightened people. They warned that such incidents could happen again, especially now that social media enables anyone with a cellphone to provide near-instantaneous reports that can reach millions of people around the globe. That makes it harder for any government to conceal what it is doing. But it also means that if the truth is revealed, it can spread just as quickly.
