CNN
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Ukraine’s Ministry of Protection mentioned late Monday {that a} strike destroyed Russian “Kalibr” cruise missiles that had been being transported by practice within the city of Dzhankoi, in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian authorities didn’t immediately declare duty for the strike however mentioned it serves to additional “demilitarize Russia and put together the Crimean peninsula for de-occupation.”
Sergei Askyonov, the Russian-installed head of the annexed peninsula, confirmed there was a strike and the area’s air protection system was activated. One individual was injured and two buildings had been broken, Askyonov mentioned.
Novice video geolocated by CNN reveals a big explosion and ensuing fireball. A person is heard saying off-camera the strike hit the practice station. Nonetheless, the video didn’t clearly present what had been hit and CNN hasn’t been capable of verify the precise location of the strike.
Two of Russia’s most vital navy airfields in Crimea are positioned in Dzhankoi and Gvardeyskoye, Britain’s Ministry of Protection mentioned in 2022.
“Dzhankoi can also be a key highway and rail junction that performs an vital position in supplying Russia’s operations in southern Ukraine,” it mentioned.
Crimea additionally hosts an vital port and a serious naval base for Russia’s Black Sea fleet within the metropolis of Sevastopol. A few of Russia’s most vital warships have been docked there, together with floor ships outfitted with cruise missiles.
The US has beforehand accused Russia of utilizing cruise missiles fired from ships within the Black Sea to hit civilian targets in Ukraine.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2021, Ukraine has launched a number of strikes in opposition to Russian positions in Crimea and operations that its navy mentioned destroyed Russian Kalibr cruise missiles.
Ukrainian officers, together with President Volodymyr Zelensky, have repeatedly vowed to liberate the peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. Zelensky has beforehand burdened that for Ukrainians, Crimea is “not just a few territory” however “part of our folks, our society.”
The strike follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s go to to Crimea on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of its annexation. The go to, which additionally included a cease in Russian-occupied Mariupol, got here simply days after the Worldwide Felony Courtroom accused the Russian president of committing conflict crimes in Ukraine and issued a warrant for his arrest over an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian kids to Russia.
The ICC costs are the primary to be formally lodged in opposition to officers in Moscow because it started its unprovoked assault on Ukraine final 12 months. The Kremlin has labeled the ICC’s actions as “outrageous and unacceptable.”
The strike comes as Putin hosts Chinese language chief Xi Jinping on the Kremlin in Moscow. Throughout a gathering on Monday, Xi informed Putin that China and Russia have “comparable objectives” and he expressed help for Putin to be reelected. The conflict in Ukraine was raised within the first hours of their assembly, and is anticipated to be a key level of debate all through Xi’s three-day go to.
