Ukraine’s air force said on Wednesday that nine Russian warplanes were destroyed in a deadly string of explosions at an air base in Crimea, amid speculation of a Ukrainian attack that would be a significant escalation in the war.
Russia denied any aircraft were damaged in Tuesday’s blasts or that an attack even took place. But Ukrainian officials mocked Russia’s explanation that a careless smoker might have caused ammunition at the Saki air base to catch fire and blow up. Analysts also said that the explanation made no sense and that the Ukrainians could have used anti-ship missiles to strike the base.
“Officially Kyiv has kept mum about it, but unofficially the military acknowledges that it was a Ukrainian strike,” military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said.
If Ukrainian forces were responsible for the blasts, it would be the first known major attack on a Russian military site on the Crimean Peninsula, which was seized from Ukraine by the Kremlin in 2014.
Crimea holds substantial strategic and symbolic significance for both sides. The Kremlin’s demand that Ukraine recognizes the peninsula as part of Russia has been one of its key conditions for ending the fighting. In contrast, Ukraine has vowed to drive the Russians out of all occupied territories.
After the blasts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “This Russian war against Ukraine and against all of free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea — its liberation.”
The explosions, which killed one person and injured 14, sent tourists fleeing in panic as plumes of smoke rose over the coastline nearby. A video showed shattered windows and holes in the brickwork of some buildings.
Russia denied any aircraft were damaged in Tuesday’s blasts or that an attack even took place. But Ukrainian officials mocked Russia’s explanation that a careless smoker might have caused ammunition at the Saki air base to catch fire and blow up. Analysts also said that the explanation made no sense and that the Ukrainians could have used anti-ship missiles to strike the base.
“Officially Kyiv has kept mum about it, but unofficially the military acknowledges that it was a Ukrainian strike,” military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said.
If Ukrainian forces were responsible for the blasts, it would be the first known major attack on a Russian military site on the Crimean Peninsula, which was seized from Ukraine by the Kremlin in 2014.
Crimea holds substantial strategic and symbolic significance for both sides. The Kremlin’s demand that Ukraine recognizes the peninsula as part of Russia has been one of its key conditions for ending the fighting. In contrast, Ukraine has vowed to drive the Russians out of all occupied territories.
After the blasts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “This Russian war against Ukraine and against all of free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea — its liberation.”
The explosions, which killed one person and injured 14, sent tourists fleeing in panic as plumes of smoke rose over the coastline nearby. A video showed shattered windows and holes in the brickwork of some buildings.
