Ammo depot in Crimea explodes after Ukraine drone attack

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Jul 2023 13:45
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Authorities have evacuated residents near the site of the attack while halting traffic on the Crimea Bridge as a precautionary measure.

An ammo depot detonates as a result of a fire started by Ukrainian Security Services in a military training field in Kirovsky, Crimea, Russia, July 9, 2023 (AFP)

A Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea caused the "detonation" of an ammunition depot, as residents living 5 kilometers in the vicinity of the targeted area were ordered to evacuate, the Head of Crimea said on Saturday.

"As a result of an enemy drone on the Krasnogvardeisky district, there was a detonation at an ammunition depot," official Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram.

"A decision was taken to evacuate people [living] within five kilometers" of the zone he stated, adding that "to minimize risks, it was also decided to halt rail traffic on Crimean railways."

Aksyonov said the attack caused no casualties so far.

Earlier in the day, the official explained that "the enemy [Ukraine] attempted a raid using drones on infrastructure facilities in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Republic of Crimea."

Emergency workers were deployed at the site as a precautionary measure while car traffic on the Crimea bridge was temporarily blocked. Drivers were told to remain calm and follow the instructions of security officers.

"Motor traffic on the Crimea Bridge is temporarily blocked," the message read.

Ukrainian attacks on Crimea have intensified in recent days as its army follows a new strategy following major failed attempts to penetrate Russian defenses on the frontlines. Ukraine has opted for long-range drone attacks and heavy artillery shelling of Russian territories, which have resulted in multiple civilian deaths.

In Crimea, Ukraine attempted at least five attacks in the past week, with the Russian Ministry of Defense saying it thwarted aggression comprising 28 Ukrainian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) on July 18.

This followed an attack on the Crimea Bridge, which links the Peninsula to the rest of Russia, resulting in the death of 2 civilians and the injury of a 14-year-old girl. It was reported that the attack involved Ukrainian Security Services (SBU), the Ukrainian Navy, and British intelligence.

In retaliation, Russia launched a major attack on July 18, using naval-based weapons on military sites in Odessa and Nikolaev. The Ministry of Defense confirmed that it successfully targeted and destroyed Ukrainian unmanned drones and production sites, as well as fuel storage facilities that hold a total volume of 70 thousand tons which supply Ukraine's military with fuel.

The Crimea Bridge was first attacked on October 8, 2022, when Ukrainians used a truck loaded with explosive material to destroy a section of the bridge.

Ukraine threatens civilian lives by using US-made cluster ammunition

In a related context, Ukraine hit the Russian border village of Zhuravlevka in the Belgorod region with cluster munitions on Friday, according to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

"In the Belgorod region, 21 artillery shells and three cluster munitions from a multiple rocket launcher were fired [by the Ukrainian army] at the village of Zhuravlevka," Governor said on Telegram.

The United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN is aware of reports that Ukraine began to fire US-supplied cluster bombs and said their use should not be permitted in combat.

"We have seen these reports, which are very concerning, and as we have said before these types of munitions should be consigned to history and should not be used," Dujarric told a briefing.

The munitions were specifically designed to cause indiscriminate loss of human life and hideous injuries over a wide area — including in this case the loss of Ukrainian lives.

The US' latest military logistics package to Ukraine, which was unveiled earlier this month, includes cluster munition.