Fire at Military Base in Crimea Forces Over 2,000 to Evacuate

No casualties have been reported in the fire

A fire at a military facility in Crimea has forced local authorities to evacuate over 2,000 people in nearby villages.

“The temporary evacuation of residents of four localities adjacent to the military site in the Kirovsky district is planned. That’s more than 2,000 people,” said Crimean Governor Aksyonov.

No casualties were reported in the fire, which local officials said set an ammunition depot ablaze, causing multiple explosions. Aksyonov said later in the day that the situation would return to normal within one day.

The cause of the explosion is not clear. The incident comes a day after Russia said it downed a series of Ukrainian drones that were trying to target Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin said whatever the cause of the fire needed to be “dealt with.”

Media reports said earlier in the day that the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, took credit for the fire. But later, Ukrainian officials said the statement was fake and that Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident also came after Ukrainian forces attacked the Crimean Bridge that links the peninsula to the Russian mainland, which killed two civilians and injured a child. Russia responded to the attack by launching missile and drone strikes in southern Ukraine.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.