Crimea explosions severely damages Russian navy fleet- UK

• Explosions at Russian airfield in Crimea “significantly degraded” Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
• Loss of eight combat jets will have negligible impact on Moscow’s overall fleet of aircraft.
• Satellite images indicate a possible targeted attack.

This week’s explosions at a Russian-operated airfield in Crimea have “significantly degraded” Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, according to the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD).

On Tuesday, a series of explosions rocked the Saky base in the western portion of Russian-controlled Crimea, killing one person.

The explosions resulted in the loss of eight Russian combat aircraft, the Department of Defense reported in its daily intelligence briefing.

Although Ukraine has not claimed responsibility, satellite images indicate a possible targeted attack.

The statement indicates that at least five fighter-bombers and three multi-role jets were “almost certainly destroyed or seriously damaged.” The cause of the explosions is unknown.

According to the report, the loss of eight combat jets will have a negligible impact on Moscow’s overall fleet of aircraft, but will be a significant setback for the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy.

The ministry adds, “”The fleet’s naval aviation capability is now significantly degraded,”

The Saky fleet engages Ukrainian fighters in southern Ukraine and likely conducts assessment operations further east.

Some of the bombers travelled from the base to the port city of Mariupol, which was heavily damaged by Russian shelling before it fell to Moscow in May.

The Russian government denied that any of its aircraft were damaged by the explosions, but satellite images indicate otherwise.
In the wake of the explosions in Crimea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed officials to refrain from discussing Kyiv’s military tactics with reporters.

According to unnamed officials cited by the New York Times and the Washington Post, the perpetrators were Ukrainian forces. However, the Ukrainian defence minister has suggested that careless Russian soldiers may be to blame.

“War is definitely not the time for vanity and loud statements. The fewer details you divulge about our defence plans, the better it will be for the implementation of those defence plans,” Mr Zelensky said in an evening address.

Any attack on Crimea by Ukraine would be viewed as an escalation of the conflict. Ex-President Dmitry Medvedev issued a warning to Ukraine last month, stating that “Judgement Day will instantly await” if it attacked Crimea.

In addition to Crimea, Mr. Zelensky urged the international community to take immediate action to “chase out” Russian troops from the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.

“Only the Russians’ full withdrawal… would guarantee nuclear safety for all of Europe,” he added, condemning “Russian nuclear blackmail”.

The BBC has been informed by employees of the occupied plant that they are being held at gunpoint while Russian troops use the facility as a military base.

The first shipment of Ukrainian wheat to leave the country since Russia’s invasion has set sail for Turkey, according to the Turkish defence ministry. Friday marked the departure of two ships from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

14 ships have circumvented Russia’s naval blockade in accordance with an agreement brokered by the United Nations.

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