Satellite pictures showed the devastation at a Russian air base in Crimea, suggesting Kyiv may have obtained new long-range strike capability with the potential to change the course of the war. Russia has denied aircraft were damaged and said explosions seen at the base on Tuesday were accidental.
The attack on the Russian base in Crimea is being framed as the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south.
Exactly how the attack was carried out remains a mystery. Still, the impact craters and simultaneous explosions indicate it was hit by a volley of weapons capable of evading Russian defenses.
After weeks of subdued fighting, a Ukrainian general said Russia had doubled its air strikes on Ukrainian positions since last week.
After the destruction of the Saky air base in Crimea, the intensity of Russian airborne activity in the south decreased.
Ukraine has driven Russian forces back from the capital Kyiv and the outskirts of the second-largest city Kharkiv. Still, Moscow has captured territory in the east in massive battles that killed thousands of troops on both sides.
Ukraine reported Russian bombardment along the entire front line, including in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and adjacent provinces. Three people were killed and seven wounded in Nikopol.
Ukraine accused Russia of killing at least 13 people and wounding 10 with rockets fired from the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
For more on this story, please consider these sources:
- Satellite images show damage at Russian air base in Crimea NBC News
- Russia, Belarus military bases rocked by fire, explosions days after Crimea air base sees destructive blasts Fox News
- Crimea images signal Kyiv’s new strike capability Reuters
- Ukraine is not taking responsibility for Crimea explosions – Zelenskiy aide Reuters
- Seven Russian warplanes were destroyed in huge blasts at Crimean air base, new satellite images show CNN