Drone hits Crimean ammunition depot as Russia attacks 11 regions in Ukraine
A Ukrainian drone hit an ammunition depot in central Crimea on Saturday, sparking an explosion, less than a week after a predawn strike on a key bridge linking the peninsula to Russia.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of the territory said in a Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of casualties but that authorities were evacuating civilians within a five-kilometer (three-radius) of the blast site, AP reported.
The Ukrainian military appeared to confirm it had launched the drone strike, claiming through its press service that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske area, although without specifying what weapons were used.
Social media posts circulating on Saturday had earlier referenced unconfirmed reports of “several” drones targeting an oil depot and airstrip, as well as a loud blast resembling the sound of detonating shells.
The explosion in Krasnohvardiiske came less than a week after a Ukrainian strike Monday on the crucial Kerch bridge linking Crimea with Russia, which killed two people and left a section of the roadway hanging perilously.
Moscow on the same day ended its participation in a wartime deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea and later pounded Ukraine’s seaports with drones and missiles after vowing “retribution” for the attack on the bridge, a key supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, a fire broke out within military training grounds in eastern Crimea that forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people and the closure of a nearby highway, according to Aksyonov. Neither Moscow nor local Kremlin-appointed authorities gave reasons for the blaze, and Ukraine did not comment.
The Russian company operating the Kerch bridge announced on Saturday morning that it was temporarily halting all traffic across it, without giving reasons. Traffic was later allowed to resume crossing.
Also on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian attacks on 11 regions across the country over the previous day killed at least eight civilians and wounded others, as fierce fighting continues in Kyiv’s attempts to dislodge Russian forces from territory.