Explosions and Fire at Ammunition Depot in Russian-Occupied Crimea; Villagers Evacuated
In a terrifying turn of events, more than 2,000 residents are being evacuated from four villages in Russian-occupied Crimea. This comes after a fire broke out at an ammunition depot, triggering several hours of explosions. Russian-installed officials have also closed a stretch of the motorway that crosses the southern half of the peninsula.
The cause of the fire, which occurred at a military training ground near the city of Staryi Krim, has not been explained by the officials. However, unconfirmed reports on social media suggest that three Ukrainian strikes may be responsible for the incident.
Compounding the chaos, the overnight explosions coincided with a heavy Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa. The attack, according to Ukraine’s air force, targeted critical infrastructure and military facilities. Despite successfully shooting down 37 Russian missiles and drones, a number of them managed to penetrate Ukrainian defenses. As a result, several people were injured, and multiple flats, along with a grain and fuel terminal at the port, were damaged. Two warehouses, including one housing fireworks, were also hit.
This was the second consecutive night that Odesa was under attack. The attacks have been linked to Russia’s withdrawal from an international deal that allowed safe exports of grain and fertilizers across the Black Sea.
The earlier attacks on Odesa had already damaged the port’s fuel facilities, severely affecting Ukraine’s grain exports. Russia claimed that its attack on Odesa was a “mass revenge strike” for an attack on the Russian-built bridge over the Kerch Strait, which connects Crimea to Russia. The bridge strike, carried out using seaborne drones, resulted in the destruction of a section of the bridge and the unfortunate death of a Russian couple.
Meanwhile, the fire at the ammunition depot in Crimea has closed a 12km section of the Tavrida highway, disrupting the connection between the cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol to the bridge. The construction of this road was initiated by Russia’s occupation authorities in 2017.
Explosions were heard in the area starting from around 4:30 am local time on Wednesday. Sergei Aksyonov, Russia’s appointee-boss in Crimea, stated that the cause of the fire at the military range is still under investigation, but thankfully, no injuries have been reported. Nonetheless, four settlements housing approximately 2,200 people near the range in Crimea’s Kirovskyi district are being evacuated as a precautionary measure.
The situation remains tense in the region as authorities investigate the cause of the fire while simultaneously attending to the aftermath of the missile and drone attacks in Odesa. The safety and well-being of the affected residents in Crimea and Odesa continue to be a top priority as officials work to restore normalcy in the area.