- Images and video on social media showed a large plume of smoke rising from the vicinity of the Novofedorivka air base.
- Russian state media RIA Novosti say explosions were caused by detonated aviation ammunition.
- Ukraine is not known to have launched an attack on Crimea since the Russian invasion began.
A series of explosions have occurred near a Russian air base in Crimea.
Images and video on social media showed a large plume of smoke rising from the vicinity of the Novofedorivka air base on Crimea’s west coast.
Oleg Kryuchkov, the Crimean region’s adviser, confirmed several explosions near the village of Novofedorivka.
“So far, I can only confirm the fact of several explosions in the Novofedorivka area. I ask everyone to wait for official messages and not to produce versions,” Kryuchkov said on his Telegram channel.
According to Russian state media RIA Novosti, the series of explosions were caused by detonated aviation ammunition.
“Around 3.20 pm, several aviation munitions detonated on the territory of the airfield ‘Saki’ near the settlement of Novofedorovka, on a bunded storage site,” a Russia defense ministry statement said, according to RIA Novosti.
According to the defence ministry, there were no injuries as a result of the explosions, and no aviation equipment at the airfield was damaged.
Separately, Sergey Aksenov, the so-called Republic of Crimea’s president, stated that he visited the scene and that “the circumstances are being clarified.”
According to the region’s Ministry of Health, ambulances and an air ambulance were dispatched to the scene of the explosions.
There has been no word from Ukraine regarding any attack in the area. Ukraine is not known to have launched an attack on Crimean territory since the Russian invasion began.
