The photos show the remains of the fuselages of at least eight fighter jets and three craters, suggesting that there was no initial blast at a single point from which the fire spread.
Russian military authorities maintain that the series of explosions that destroyed Russia’s Saki military airport in Crimea on Tuesday were caused by an accidental detonation of ammunition. However, the massive devastation shown by Planet Labs’ satellite images confirms that the explosions at the Russian air base were not a simple accident and suggests that the Ukrainian military may have been able to obtain long-range weapons.
The photos show the remains of the fuselages of at least eight fighter jets and three craters, suggesting that there was no initial blast at a single point from which the fire spread. Kiev has so far neither confirmed nor denied that the attack on the Saki airport, in the city of Novofiódorovka, was the work of its armed forces,
According to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mijailo Podoliak, “We are not confirming or denying anything. There are numerous hypotheses about what could have happened… there were several epicenters of explosions at the exact same time,” he told Reuters. Ukrainian media say Tuesday’s explosions destroyed 17 Su-27, Su-30M and Su-24 fighters and one Il-20RT transport ship, as well as six Mi-8 helicopters, and destroyed four ammunition depots and several buildings were damaged.
Officially, one was killed and 15 injured, but military sources in Kiev believe the number of casualties, especially among the military, should be much higher, judging by the huge area affected. A nearby beach was deserted by swimmers after hearing of the deflagration and seeing the massive columns of smoke forming. Many vacationers rushed to escape from the peninsula across the Kerch Bridge, which caused huge traffic jams.
If it really is an attack, it would be the first major attack against Crimea since the start of the current war on February 24. But the fact that the closest point from which the Ukrainian forces could fire is 200 kilometers away, and the apparent absence of weapons that can reach that distance, casts doubt on the nature of what really happened in Saki.
However, since early June, Ukrainian forces have been attacking Russian supply lines with HIMARS and M270 rocket launchers, changing the dynamics of the war. Russia is being forced to defend its bases not only in the frontline areas, but also in the deeper rear.
Another element that would indicate that it was not an accident that destroyed the airport was the fact that the Crimean authorities declared a state of emergency across the peninsula on Wednesday. The pro-Russian leader of the local government, Sergei Aksionov, assured that 252 people had to be evacuated from Novofiódorovka.
According to Aksiónov, the explosions damaged more than 60 residential buildings and 20 commercial establishments and set all vehicles parked in the base’s parking lot on fire. Ukrainian army spokesman Yuri Ignat told the UNIAN agency on Wednesday that what happened in Novofiódorovka “will cause the Russian fleet of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea to partially reduce their offensive capabilities”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes Russia has “made Crimea one of the most dangerous places in Europe”. In his opinion, since the peninsula was annexed by Russia in March 2014, Moscow has “brought widespread repression, environmental problems, economic despair and war. Perhaps historians will one day determine how many people have died as a result of Russia’s use of Crimea for terror (…) as long as it remains occupied by Russia, there will be no security in the Black Sea region,” he stressed.
Source: La Verdad
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