Questions have been raised about the Kremlin’s version of events after several large explosions were seen erupting from a Russian military air base in Crimea on Tuesday.
A video of the explosion at the Saki base on the Russian-controlled peninsula was shared on social media. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said the explosion was caused by an explosion of aviation ammunition, but gave no explanation as to what caused the weapon to explode. They also claimed that the explosion caused no casualties and no damage to on-site aviation hardware. ‘ added. “Reports from the field indicated that the airfield’s bundled ammunition storage area was unaffected by the fire.”
Despite the Kremlin’s denials, conflicting stories soon emerged. said an unnamed Ukrainian military official. new york times Ukrainian forces were actually behind the explosion. Only manufactured equipment was used,” he added.
Various stories surrounding the cause of the airbase explosion have joined the list of controversial events in Ukraine in recent weeks.Both Kyiv and Kremlin have accused each other of being responsible for the internationally condemned Kyiv explosion Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhia, weekends.And both belligerents apparently pointed the finger at each other Airstrike on Olenivka prison Dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war died.
Independent analysts who have seen footage of Tuesday’s explosion in Crimea have also cast doubt on the Kremlin’s latest story. Nonetheless, I was particularly interested in the fact that they appeared to erupt almost simultaneously. “The two explosions happened at about the same time, so I don’t think it was an accident,” Alexander told The Daily Beast. ”
Alexander therefore believes the explosion is likely a Ukrainian attack. “If it’s just one explosion, it could certainly be an accident and something will happen. We won’t be able to say for sure until we see satellite imagery tomorrow, but it seems that both ammunition depots were hit at about the same time, so it would be an accident.” It seems strange.”
Given the shocking proximity of the explosion to civilian housing, the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim that there were no casualties may also prove untrue, Alexander speculates. “I don’t know exactly who lives there. There may be soldiers’ houses and so on, but they still have families,” he says. “I don’t know if they evacuated the area before or what you did, what the situation is. But those houses probably don’t exist anymore.”
And video evidence aside, Alexander says the denial is consistent with the Kremlin’s strategy when dealing with potentially embarrassing military stories. He gives the example of the Kremlin story over Russia. April Russian warship Moscow sinks, the ship that was on the receiving end of the now immortal Snake Island battle cry: “Fuck yourself, Russian warships.” The Ukrainian military claimed to have destroyed Moscow with an anti-ship missile, and the Russian Defense Ministry first claimed that an accidental fire detonated ammunition on board before the ship sank in stormy seas, claiming the ship’s Presented a changing kaleidoscope of tales about demise.Towed back to port. “They usually start out in denial,” says Alexander. [they call it an] Accident, and they just go quiet. ”
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