After the recent explosions in an ammunition depot in Crimea, the Russian military is apparently worried about its infrastructure on the annexed peninsula. As security circles in Ukraine report, among other things, combat aircraft are being relocated from their previous air force bases.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian Air Force is attempting to evacuate warplanes and helicopters to safety in Crimea after several explosions. Some of the aircraft would be transferred to the interior of the peninsula annexed in 2014, and some would be withdrawn to the Russian mainland. This was announced by the Ukrainian military intelligence service on Facebook.
The transfer of at least 24 aircraft and 14 helicopters was observed. The information from Kyiv could not be verified. On August 9, explosions shook the Russian air base at Saki on the west coast of Crimea. Satellite images later showed that at least seven fighter jets had been destroyed. Heavy detonations at an ammunition depot near Dzhankoy and a smaller explosion at Gvardeyskoye air base near Simferopol were observed on Tuesday. The remaining fighter jets were brought from Saki to Gwardejskoye.
Ukraine has officially taken no responsibility. However, the damage suggests targeted actions against the military installations. The Russian Ministry of Defence, which referred to suspected violations of fire safety regulations in the first explosions in Crimea, this time spoke clearly of sabotage. MPs of the Russian Federation Council go even further and interpret the events as attacks on Russia.
