Smoke rises after an explosion in the village of Mayskoye, Dzhankoi district, Crimea, August 16, 2022. /Reuters
Smoke rises after an explosion in the village of Mayskoye, Dzhankoi district, Crimea, August 16, 2022. /Reuters
A military warehouse near the Dzhankoi district in Crimea was damaged "as a result of sabotage," RIA news agency reported Tuesday, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
A fire erupted around 6:15 am local time at the temporary military storage site near the village of Mayskoye in Dzhankoi, the ministry said in a statement.
An electricity substation also caught fire near Dzhankoi, according to a footage shown on a Russian state TV. It showed explosions on the horizon which the Russian side said came from the ammunition detonations.
Seven passenger trains were delayed and rail traffic on part of the line in northern Crimea was suspended, RIA said, adding that it could disrupt the ability to support Russian troops in Ukraine with military hardware.
Sergei Aksyonov, Moscow's senior representative in the region, confirmed that two people were injured, railway traffic halted and about 2,000 people evacuated from a village near the military depot.
Necessary measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of the "sabotage," RIA quoted the ministry as saying.
Ukraine has not officially confirmed or denied responsibility for explosions, but officials have made several comments suggesting its forces could be involved. Last week, blasts at a military air base on Crimea's western coast caused extensive damage and destroyed several Russian war planes.
The Crimean Peninsula is now the home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Russia has used Crimea to reinforce its troops fighting in other parts of Ukraine with military hardware.
(With inputs from agencies)