KYIV — A series of blasts targeting Russian weapons took place in Russian-occupied Crimea on Monday night, according to videos posted on social media.
The footage showed explosions in Dzhankoy, a town in the northern part of Crimea and a strategically important railway connection used by the Russian army. In some clips, a red cloud was visible in the night sky after the blasts. Others featured the sound of machine guns firing.
Ukrainian Military Intelligence reported that an explosion had destroyed a cargo of Russian Kalibr cruise missiles — which Moscow has used to hammer Ukrainian critical infrastructure. Ukraine has not officially taken responsibility for the attack.
“The mysterious series of blasts continues the process of Russia’s demilitarization and prepares the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea for de-occupation,” Ukrainian Military Intelligence said in a statement.
However, Russian media reported that Russian-backed authorities in Crimea blamed a “night attack by Ukrainian drones,” saying they had hit a technical school and residential areas.
Although Russian authorities reported all drones were shot down, Russian independent media channel Astra reported serious damage after the drone attack was recorded in at least five locations.
“Four of them belong to the railway station. Locomotive depot, station security building, inventory and fuel depots,” Astra reported. As a result of the attack, there were interruptions in the locomotive depot power supply. One man was wounded, Astra also reported.