Steph Deschamps / August 16, 2022
A fire that caused an explosion of ammunition occurred Tuesday morning in a Russian military base in Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia, announced the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The fire broke out in a temporary ammunition depot at a Russian base in the northern district of Zhankoi, the ministry said in a statement, cited by Russian news agencies.
As a result of the fire, a detonation of ammunition occurred, it said.
According to the Governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksionov, who visited the scene, two civilians were injured, and the evacuation of residents of a nearby village was underway.
This incident comes a week after an explosion of ammunition for military aviation in a depot located on the territory of the military airfield in Saki, western Crimea.
These explosions killed one person and injured several others.
Crimea, a peninsula in Ukraine annexed in 2014 by Moscow, has been on the front lines of Russia's military offensive against its Ukrainian neighbor since February 24.
Russian planes take off almost daily from Crimea to strike targets in areas under Kiev's control, and several areas of the peninsula are within the range of Ukrainian guns and drones.