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A massive explosion in Crimea destroyed a cache of Russian cruise missiles, a key weapon in its attacks on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine says

Mar 22, 2023, 03:19 IST
Business Insider
A still from footage shared on social media on March 20, 2023, purporting to show an explosion in Dhzankoi, Crimea. Insider was unable to verify the footage.Anton Gerashchenko/Twitter
  • Ukraine's MOD said that Russian Kalibr missiles were destroyed in a blast in Dzhankoi, Crimea.
  • Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, Russia said it had foiled a drone attack in the area.
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Russian cruise missiles were destroyed in a massive explosion in northern Crimea on Monday night, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.

Ukraine, which did not claim responsibility for the incident, said that a supply of Kalibr NK cruise missiles was hit as it was transported by rail through the city of Dzhankoi, which is home to an air base seized by Russia during its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Ukraine said that Kalibr missiles are a key weapon in Russia's attacks on its civilian infrastructure, according to the Kyiv Independent. The paper cited military officials as saying dozens of Kalibr missiles were located on ships in the Black Sea as of January.

Kalibr NK missiles have a range of more than 1,500 miles over land, according to Ukraine's MOD.

Russian state-controlled news outlet TASS said Russian air defense had repulsed a drone attack on civilian targets in the city on Monday, without mentioning any loss of missiles. It claimed there were no military targets nearby.

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TASS cited Russian-installed spokesperson Oleg Kryuchkov as saying drones were shot down over residential areas and a school, and that they contained explosives and shrapnel.

It also quoted Sergey Aksyonov, the installed leader of the occupied territory, as saying one man was injured in the incident and a house and store were damaged.

Insider was unable to verify either account, nor widely-shared videos and images purporting to be from the scene.

One video, tweeted by Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko, appeared to show a bright orange blast from behind a low, silhouetted buildings. An off-camera voice says the explosion is in the area of the railway station, per Gerashchenko's translation.

Images shared by TASS on Tuesday appeared to show wreckage from the incident.

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A composite image appearing to show wreckage from a claimed drone attack in Dzhankoi, Crimea, on March 20, 2023.Oleg Kryuchkov/TASS

If confirmed, a Ukrainian attack on Dzhankoi would be the latest daring assault, with the city located roughly 135 miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated his desire to retake the annexed territory.

The US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War has previously tracked similar events in Crimea — including an unclaimed series of explosions last August, and a reported drone flight in January 2023.

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