MOSCOW: Russian authorities said that an explosion was reported on Saturday after debris from a shot-down drone hit the staff building of the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea's Sevastopol city.
According to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the head of the local Russian government in the city, the drone was shot down by the fleet's air defences and "it landed onto the roof and burnt." There weren't any losses. The official attributed the incident to Ukraine.
Images and videos that were going viral on social media showed a cloud of smoke rising into the sky after an explosion, but their veracity couldn't be independently verified.
Razvozhayev advised people to maintain their composure and stay in their homes during the ensuing hour, noting that there were no serious injuries. The administrative head of Sevastopol claimed that at the end of July, a drone had previously struck the building's courtyard. Moreover, there were casualties. Ukraine has denied having anything to do with the incident.
This week, a Russian ammunition stockpile in Crimea detonated, and on Thursday, drones were purportedly shot down above the Crimean city of Kerch. The Ukrainian government has said that it expects such explosions in the future and that Crimea is not a secure place, without directly admitting responsibility for the attacks.
Russian authorities said that during the previous few days, Moscow was compelled to shoot down drones in numerous areas across the Black Sea peninsula.Razvozhayev reported hearing multiple explosions in the city centre on Friday evening and claimed that Sevastopol's anti-aircraft defence was active and successful in hitting its targets. Unverified social media footage that purportedly came from Yevpatoriya displayed tracers from anti-aircraft fire over the city.
Drones were also allegedly shot down over the Crimean city of Kerch on Thursday.
China increases its imports of Russian energy
Russia releases fresh nuclear plant warning
UN chief visits Odessa port to review grain exports in action