Satellite images show major damage at Crime Airbase

The Saki air base, located west of the Russian-controlled Crime, was hit by a series of explosions Tuesday, August 9th, leaving one person dead.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the bombings, but new data suggests the blasts would likely have been a targeted attack.

Satellite images published by Plant Labs show large areas of the earth burned by the fires that broke out.

The main pilots of this air base appear to have been unmoved, but at least eight planes appear to have been damaged or destroyed as they appear to be digging holes in the ground.

Some of these pits are in specific areas of the air base, where large numbers of airplanes are parked in open spaces rather than in barns.

Planet Labs satellite images, which monitor the war in Ukraine, present the first confirmation that the base may have been destroyed. So far, details of the size of damage caused by the blasts have been slim.

Still unclear is how the base was destroyed or hit.

Russia insists the blasts were triggered by motion explosions, located in airport depots. Moscow has argued that even the blasts have resulted from the failure of the fire-related rules.

Ukraine, on the other hand, has not claimed responsibility, and the Defence Ministry has suggested that it may be guilty of Russian soldiers who have been careless in terms of fire-related rules.

“I think the Russian soldiers on this air base violated the simplest rule: don't smoke in dangerous places”, said Ukrainian Defence Minister Olexity Reznikov. “This is all”, he added.

Ukrainian Air Force said dozens of Russian fighter aircraft have been destroyed, but Russia has dismissed claims of aircraft damage. However, new images suggest that there are aircraft damaged or destroyed.

The Ukrainian Crime Peninsula was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged that by the end of the occupation, which Russia launched against Ukraine, Kiev will regain control of the Crimea. (Rel)