Two Russian villages were evacuated on Thursday due to a fire that broke out in an ammunition depot near the Ukrainian border, local authorities said.
This fire occurs a few days after the explosions at a military base and an ammunition depot located in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow, Russia recognizing in the latter case an act of “sabotage”.
Displaced Tomonovo residents
“An ammunition depot was set on fire near the village of Timonovo,” located less than 50 km from the border with Ukraine in Belgorod province, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement.
No casualties were reported, but residents of Timonovo and the nearby town of Soloti were “moved to a safe distance”, it said, adding that authorities were investigating the reasons for the fire.
In a video uploaded to social networks, a huge fireball can be seen releasing a thick column of black smoke. In another, several explosions in a row could be seen in the distance.
The fire that broke out on Thursday comes amid an outbreak of explosions affecting Russian military installations in Crimea.
Several ammunition depots already targeted
In early August, the explosion of ammunition intended for military aviation near the Saki military airfield left one dead and several injured. A few days later, the explosions blew up an ammunition depot. In this last case, Moscow has admitted, somewhat strangely, an act of “sabotage”.
In a sign that the situation remains explosive, Russian forces shot down a drone Thursday night near the airport in Sevastopol, Crimea’s largest city and home to the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, according to local authorities.
“According to preliminary data, a drone was shot down near Belbek airport by anti-aircraft defense. There was no damage,” Moscow-appointed Crimean Governor Mikhail Razvojayev said on Telegram.
Shortly before, the Russian anti-aircraft defense had been activated near the city of Kerch, also in Crimea, where there is a bridge that connects the peninsula with mainland Russia, built at great expense after the annexation.
“The anti-aircraft defense systems have been activated in Kerch. There is no danger to the city or the bridge,” a regional official, Oleg Krioutchkov, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
a volatile situation
These systems aim to intercept and destroy enemy projectiles or aircraft that come into range.
On Wednesday, through the voice of a presidential adviser, Mikhaïlo Podoliak, kyiv had threatened to “dismantle” this bridge currently used by many Russians going to or returning from vacation in Crimea.
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in late February, Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out attacks on its territory, particularly in the Belgorod region.
Last month, missiles fell on the city of Belgorod, the provincial capital, killing four people, according to local authorities. In early April, Vyacheslav Gladkov accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on a fuel depot in Belgorod with two helicopters.
Source: BFM TV
