While the situation on the eastern front remained stagnant for several weeks, despite the announced intention Russia occupy its entire industrial area Donbassthe Ukrainian pressure on the southern front is noticeably increasing, as evidenced by new explosions that shook its peninsula Crimeaa region annexed by the Russian Federation back in 2014.

The powerful explosions that started the fires took place yesterday at Russian army depots in Dzhankoy in northern Crimea, about 50 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian forces outside Kherson. Russia attributed the explosions to “sabotage” without naming possible perpetrators, and Russian media speculated that the saboteurs used small unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to detonate the explosives.

Damage from explosions

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, explosions in Dzhankoy damaged a power plant, railway lines and several residential buildings, but there were no serious injuries. Meanwhile, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that thick clouds of black smoke had also risen over the Russian air base in the Gvardeyskoge area in the center of the Crimean peninsula.

Under no circumstances will we use nuclear weapons, says Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

If it is confirmed that the terrorist attacks in Crimea were the work of the Ukrainian army, this would be a major escalation of the war that began with the Russian invasion on February 23. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak did not directly confirm the case, but said that instead of functioning as a popular tourist destination and recreation center, “Russian-occupied Crimea is associated with explosions in warehouses and a high risk of loss of life. for invaders and thieves.

Last week, an explosion at the Russian airbase in Sheki, in southern Crimea, destroyed nine fighter jets and caused panic among Russian tourists flocking to nearby beaches. According to Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov, as a result of yesterday’s sabotage in Dzhankoy, two people were injured and more than 3,000 were evacuated to safer places.

Speaking at an international security conference in Moscow, which was attended by countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the United States “needs conflicts to maintain its hegemony” and accused them of trying by all means to prolong the war in Ukraine.

At the same conference, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu categorically dismissed any possibility that his country would resort to the use of nuclear or chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine and accused Western intelligence agencies of working directly with the Ukrainian military to identify targets on the battlefield. .