A Russian military base in occupied Crimea erupted into flames after a series of explosions that came as Ukraine said its forces had carried out an attack on the Black Sea peninsula.
About 2,000 locals were hastily evacuated as the blaze engulfed the Russian military training ground in the Kirovske district. A nearby highway was also closed as smoke billowed into the sky.
“A successful operation was conducted on occupied Crimea. The enemy is concealing the extent of the damage and the number of losses in manpower,” Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, said.
It is rare for Ukraine to take responsibility for attacks on President Putin’s occupying army in Crimea or inside Russia itself. Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014,
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