An explosion destroyed some Russian missiles in northern Crimea, the peninsula in southeastern Ukraine annexed by Russia in 2014 in a referendum deemed illegal by many governments, Ukraine’s defense ministry said. In a statement, the Ukrainian ministry said the explosion occurred in the city of Džankoj while the missiles were being transported to the Black Sea on a train, but did not explicitly clarify whether it was due to a Ukrainian attack. A Russian-appointed Crimean official claimed the blast was caused by explosive-rigged drones aiming at civilian targets, leaving one person injured. The Russian authorities have not mentioned any missiles destroyed.
The versions provided by Ukraine and Russia could not be independently verified at this time. Last August, again in Crimea, there were several explosions in some Russian military bases: Ukraine later claimed responsibility for the attacks. In October, another explosion collapsed part of the bridge connecting Russia to Crimea: the Russian authorities immediately blamed Ukraine for the explosion, also by virtue of the enormous importance of the bridge for Russia both militarily and symbolic.
