Huge explosion at a Russian warehouse in Crimea, thousands evacuated

Ukrainian air defense forces respond to Russian attack. ( Video screenshot / CNN)

Video footage showed smoke and flames billowing from the site near Stary Krym in Crimea’s Kirovske district, where a series of explosions occurred six hours after the initial blast. According to Russian media, the speaker of Crimea’s parliament said that efforts to extinguish the blasts could take up to two days.

The cause of the series of explosions is not yet clear. Crimea's Russian-appointed leader, Sergey Aksyonov, said on his Telegram channel that "a fire broke out at a military training area." Aksyonov also said that four nearby villages, totaling more than 2,000 people, were being evacuated.

Smoke and flames rise above a military training area after an explosion in the Kirovske district of Crimea on July 19, 2023. Photo: Reuters.

The series of explosions is the latest in a series of recent incidents in Crimea. On Monday, Ukraine admitted responsibility for an attack that damaged part of a road bridge linking Crimea to Russia, a vital Russian supply line and a personal project of President Vladimir Putin.

Kyiv authorities have not commented on Wednesday’s explosion in Crimea. The pro-Russian Telegram channel Grey Zone claimed that a Ukrainian Storm Shadow missile hit a storage facility, a claim that could not be verified. A Ukrainian rebel group in Crimea called Atesh praised the explosion but said it was not behind the attack.

A spokesman for Mr Putin said he had received reports of an explosion at an ammunition depot.

“One of the worst nights”

In retaliation for Ukraine’s attack on the Crimean Bridge, Russia launched a two-day airstrike on the strategic port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine. The airstrike damaged many important facilities and injured many civilians.

The Ukrainian Air Force said the Kremlin’s nighttime airstrikes involved Kalibr, Kh-22 and Oniks cruise missiles, as well as several Iranian Shahed-136/131 drones. It also said it intercepted 14 cruise missiles and 23 drones.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it attacked military facilities and fuel storage facilities in Odesa using “high-precision naval and air weapons.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Moscow had deliberately launched airstrikes on “some important facilities covered by the grain export protection agreement” after the Kremlin withdrew from the grain export protection agreement in the Black Sea region.

He said it was the biggest attempt by Russia to “harm Odesa” since the war began in February 2022. He added that about “one million tons of food” had been damaged in the airstrikes on the ports on Wednesday.

“Everyone is affected by this action by Russia.”

The damage in Odesa and the nearby port of Chornomosk will take up to a year to repair, Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry said.

A firefighter works on Wednesday in Odesa, southern Ukraine. Photo: Press Service of the Office of the President of Ukraine/Reuters.

Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov described the attack as “one of the worst nights” of the war.

“We have not seen an attack of such scale since the invasion began.”

There are no reports of casualties yet. However, the whole city was shaken by the explosions, and several people were injured by debris from the downed Russian missile, including a 9-year-old boy.

To the east, two civilians were killed and seven others wounded after Ukrainian artillery fire targeted a separatist-controlled area in the Donetsk region, a Russian-appointed official said.

On Telegram, the chairman of the separatist forces calling themselves the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said that many houses, two schools and a hospital were damaged.

Ukraine’s attack on the Crimea bridge has dealt a logistical and symbolic blow to Moscow’s military campaign. The 12-mile, $3.7 billion road and bridge is a vital lifeline for the peninsula, providing daily supplies for the military as well as fuel and goods for the people who live there.

According to an official from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the attack was a joint operation between the SBU and the Ukrainian navy.

The attack left a couple dead and their daughter injured.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to CNN)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/no-lon-tai-mot-kho-chua-cua-nga-o-crimea-hang-ngan-nguoi-phai-di-tan-a618097.html