Vladimir Putin has been dealt yet another blow, after a huge explosion at a Russian military base in occupied Crimea after a suspected sabotage attack by Ukraine.
Thick black smoke poured from the facility in Simferopol after the suspected sabotage or drone attack. A huge explosion was heard in the oil storage facility at the base in the capital of the occupied region before the fire broke out.
Pro-Russian sources dismissed the blaze as “domestic” but the scale of the fire following a blast suggested it followed an attack.
Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind said the military base was hit at a site of “warehouses where fuel tanks are stored”.
It added: “We recommend that residents of nearby houses stay away from this place.”
Separately on the Crimean peninsula, a huge blaze was underway in Feodosia in another suspected strike visible to Russian tourists. Russia has also claimed to have thwarted a new Ukrainian attack by three sea drones on the 12-mile Crimean Bridge.
Today’s attack, if confirmed to have been by Ukraine, would be the latest in a long line of incursions on Russia and Russian occupied terrority over the last few weeks. Kyiv rarely admits responsibilty for attacks on Russia.
In a huge blow to Putin, a number of drones – believed to be Ukrainian – have attacked Russian cities since the counteroffensive began earlier in the summer.
Just two days ago, drones attacked numerous Russian cities including Moscow and Rostov-on-Don.
On Friday, a staggering seven separate attacks were recorded in Russia, as drones were also shot down over the Bryansk region – which borders Ukraine, according to the governor Alexander Bogomaz.
Drone debris damaged a railway station and several cars, he said.
Friday’s attacks were believed to be in direct response to a deadly attack on a market in the ‘peaceful’ city of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine, in which 16 people were killed.
Zelensky blamed Russia for the attack, describing it as ‘utter inhumanity’ and his wife Olena described it as ‘horrific cruelty’.
