New explosions occurred in ammunition depot in Crimea

In Russia’s annexed Crimea on Tuesday, explosions rocked an ammunition depot and disrupted train traffic.

Sergei Aksyonov, Moscow’s top representative in the region, confirmed that two people were injured, rail traffic was disrupted and about 2,000 people were evacuated from a village near the military depot – but he declined to mention a reason.

Ukraine has signaled an intervention that, if true, could demonstrate a new capability to attack Russian soil more deeply, potentially changing the dynamics of the six-month war.

The Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea, which Russia took from Ukraine in 2014 in a move that is not recognized by most countries, is popular as a base for the Russian Black Sea fleet and a summer holiday destination.

Last week, explosions at a military airbase on the west coast of Crimea caused extensive damage and destroyed several Russian warplanes. Moscow called it an accident, but the simultaneous eruptions left craters visible from space.

In Tuesday’s incident, an electrical substation also caught fire near the town of Dzhankoi, according to Russian state television footage. They showed massive explosions on the horizon, which officials said came from ammunition blasts.

The Russian news agency RIA reported that seven passenger trains were delayed and rail traffic on part of the line in northern Crimea was suspended. This could hamper the ability to support troops in Ukraine with military equipment.

Ukraine has not officially confirmed or denied responsibility for the explosions in Crimea, although its officials openly applauded the events in areas that until last week seemed safe under Moscow’s control.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak cryptically tweeted: “A reminder: Crimea (a) as a normal country means the Black Sea, mountains, recreation and tourism, but Russian-occupied Crimea means explosions deposits and high risk of death. . for invaders and thieves. Demilitarization at work.”

Kyiv aims to disrupt Russian supply lines before a planned Ukrainian counterattack.

Like the airbase, the ammunition depot is beyond the reach of the main rockets that Western countries have agreed to supply to Ukraine, increasing the likelihood that it will acquire new capabilities.