Questions have been raised about the Kremlin’s version of events after several massive explosions were seen erupting from a Russian military airbase in Crimea on Tuesday.
Videos of the blasts at the Saki base on the Russian-controlled peninsula were shared on social media. In a statement, the Russian defense ministry said the explosions had been caused as a result of aviation munitions detonating, though no explanation was given as to what had caused the ordnance to explode. They also claimed that there were no casualties as a result of the explosions, nor was there any damage to aviation hardware at the site. “Measures are being taken to extinguish the fire and find out the causes of the explosion,” the ministry added, Russian state media reported. “According to a report from the site, there was no fire impact on the bunded ammunition storage area at the airfield.”
Video of the explosions at Saki Airbase in Crimea. https://t.co/zLUtyx4PI7 pic.twitter.com/wvBAboSPmC
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 9, 2022
Despite the Kremlin’s denials, a contradictory narrative quickly emerged. An unnamed Ukrainian military official told the New York Times that Ukrainian forces were indeed behind the blasts. “This was an air base from which planes regularly took off for attacks against our forces in the southern theater,” the source said, adding that a “device exclusively of Ukrainian manufacture was used” in the attack.
Travelers endure more than 1,300 domestic flights cancellations over the weekend
#Ukraine: New footage from the ground at the Russian airbase in Novofedorivka, #Crimea, shows that at least 1 Su-24M attack aircraft was totally destroyed due to a “violation of fire safety requirements”. The real reason for the catastrophic explosions today is currently unknown. pic.twitter.com/sGRa0MtJZz
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) August 9, 2022
The diverging stories over the cause of the air base explosions join a growing list of disputed events in Ukraine in recent weeks. Both Kyiv and the Kremlin blamed each other as being responsible for internationally condemned explosions at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, at the weekend. And both belligerents pointed the finger at one another for an apparent air strike on a prison in Olenivka which left dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war dead.
Read more: The Daily Beast
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