According to a Ukrainian government report circulated internally and shared with CNN by a Ukrainian official, Ukraine was behind three explosions that rocked Russian military facilities in the annexed province of Crimea this week, including an explosion at a Russian air base on the peninsula's west coast that wrecked several planes.
Because they were not allowed to discuss the material with the media, the official requested anonymity.
Zelensky: War Began and Must End in Crimea
According to the report, the explosions at the Saki airfield last Tuesday were a heavy but one-time loss for Russian military facilities on the peninsula, with further assaults proving Ukraine's methodical military capabilities in striking Crimea.
The event at Saki airfield on August 9 destroyed at least seven military planes, extensively damaged the base, and killed at least one person. Russia said it was an accident, and Ukrainian officials have so far refused to accept the responsibility on the record. The reason for the explosions is unknown.
In a speech following the event, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the conflict began with Crimea and must conclude with Crimea - its liberation. On August 16, another pair of explosions were reported in Crimea, this time at an ammo store in Maiske and an airport in Gvardeyskoe.
Russian officials stated the event in Maiske was the product of sabotage, but they didn't say what sort of sabotage it was or who they thought was involved. According to social media footage, fire and smoke plume were observed rising from an electrical substation 12 kilometers distant from Maiske's weapons stockpile on Tuesday. The cause of the fire and smoke at the substation is yet unknown, CNN reported.
It's a huge step that might change the dynamics of the conflict as it approaches the six-month mark, and it contradicts Moscow's cautions against invading a territory with deep strategic and symbolic significance for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia blamed the new blasts on sabotage, reversing its previous claim that an accidental detonation of armaments caused explosions that destroyed an air facility in western Crimea.
Crimea Attacks Could Trigger Wider Russia-Ukraine War
Moscow's acknowledgment that the recent bombs were not accidental might be critical for the conflict's future since the Kremlin has indicated that assaults there is a red line. The peninsula is very valuable to both Moscow, which seized it in 2014 following a referendum that was not recognized by the majority of the international community and Kyiv, which has sworn to recapture Crimea as its territory.
It has served as a crucial strategic center for Russia's invasion of mainland Ukraine, supplying vital supply routes for its soldiers in the south as well as military sites to assist its combat activities. It also serves as a base for Russia's Black Sea navy. Although Kiev has not confirmed or denied responsibility for the recent blasts, top Ukrainian officials have strongly hinted at their country's involvement, as per NBC News.
Until this week, Russian forces - and even beachgoers - felt they were secure in Crimea, which Russia captured and annexed in 2014 since it was out of Ukraine's current arsenal's range. Ukraine has requested longer-range weaponry from the US, but US officials have refused, citing concerns that Ukraine will use them to target Russian territory, perhaps sparking a broader conflict.
However, Ukraine is not deploying US-supplied weaponry in the attacks, allaying Washington's fears that Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, which Russia considers Russian territory, may escalate. Ukraine's Western partners have been involved in training the special forces responsible for the strikes, according to Mikhail Podolyak, a defense ministry advisor. NATO allies have sent trainers to teach Ukrainians how to operate behind Russian lines, he claims.
As reported by Ukrainian media sources, at least ten Russian troops were killed in a hit on a Russian command center in Nova Kakhovka, a village near one of the important crossings, on Wednesday. The weapon used was not specified in the reports, according to The Washington Post via MSN.
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