New videos appear to show a fire burning in northern Crimea, following reports of explosions around a military airfield overnight.
Images that circulated widely on social media through Russian and Ukrainian sources early Wednesday show flashes of light and explosions, with sirens blaring in the background. A local Telegram channel reported “several loud explosions,” which began shortly before 4 a. m. local time, before a fire broke out. Roads around the air base are blocked, the channel later reported.
Djankoy is a major military center, home to one of the largest Russian airfields in Crimea. It is a key location for the supply of Russian troops throughout Moscow-controlled southern Ukraine and the front lines on the continent. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Open intelligence sources said on Wednesday that Russian forces used the airfield as a base for attack helicopters and anti-aircraft missile systems. Several reports suggest that Ukrainian forces may have attacked the facility, but Kyiv has not commented.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian military for comment via email.
Earlier this month, pro-Ukrainian supporters operating in Crimea said they had detected a “build-up” of air defense systems on the peninsula, adding in Jankoy. The Atesh organization said the new anti-aircraft missile systems around the Djankoy airfield were “not in danger. “camouflaged. “
In February, the partisan organization claimed to have observed the arrival of new Russian infantrymen in Jankoy, adding combat medical teams and what appeared to be members of the Russian mercenary organization, the Wagner Group.
In March 2023, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, GUR, said an arsenal of Russian long-range Kalibr cruise missiles had been destroyed in Djankoy after an “explosion. “Russian forces were transporting the missiles by rail, Kyiv said.
Russian air bases in Crimea have been attacked during Kyiv during more than two years of all-out war. Earlier this year, the Ukrainian air force announced that it had introduced missile strikes on the Belbek airfield near the port city of Sevastopol in western Crimea. .
In August 2022, a series of explosions at the Saky airbase in western Crimea caused Russian army aircraft to be at the site.
Updated 4/17/24, 3:55 AM a. m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.
Ellie Cook is a security and defence reporter for Newsweek founded in London, UK. His paintings focus largely on the Russia-Ukraine war, the U. S. military, weapons systems, and emerging technologies. He joined Newsweek in January 2023, after applying as a reporter for the Daily Express and with a degree in International Journalism from the City, University of London.
Languages: English, Spanish.
You can reach Ellie via email at e. cook@newsweek. com.
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