![Ukraine claims the explosions in Crimea destroyed 9 Russian warplanes](https://media.newstracklive.com/uploads/latest-news/world-news/Aug/11/big_thumb/Screenshot-2022-08-11-124823_62f4ad503a6a2.png)
Ukraine: In a series of deadly explosions at an airport in Crimea that appears to be the result of a Ukrainian attack, Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that nine Russian warplanes had been destroyed. This would be a significant increase in the intensity of the war.
Russia denied there was any attack and that any planes were damaged in Tuesday's blasts. However, satellite images made it abundantly clear that at least seven fighter jets were destroyed at the base and that others were likely to be damaged.
Ukrainian authorities refrained from taking responsibility for the explosions in the open and scoffed at Russia's theory that a careless smoker opened fire and detonated ammunition at the Saki airbase.
Analysts also noted that this explanation is illogical and that Ukrainians may have attacked the base with anti-ship missiles.
Tourists fled in fear as a result of the explosions, which killed one person and injured 14, as plumes of smoke rose over the nearby beach. The video showed broken windows and holes in the brickwork of some buildings.
After the powerful explosions, Natalia Lipovaya, a tourist, claimed that "the earth had moved from under my feet." She confessed, "I was very scared.
Local resident Sergei Milochinsky remembered hearing a roar and seeing a mushroom cloud from his window. He claimed that "everything began to collapse and fall."
Crimea regional leader Sergei Aksyonov reported that 250 residents had been moved to temporary housing after several apartment buildings were damaged.
The peninsula is a favorite tourist destination for many Russians, but Wednesday's blasts were underestimated by Russian officials, who claimed no hotels or beaches were affected.
Adviser to the President of Ukraine, Oleksiy Erestovich, secretly claimed that the explosions were the result of either Ukrainian long-range weapons or the work of Ukrainian guerrillas operating in Crimea.
Oleksandr Zavitnevich, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, claimed that the airfield had become unusable. According to his Facebook post, it was home to fighter jets, tactical reconnaissance aircraft and military transport aircraft.
Planet Labs PBC released satellite images Wednesday showing debris in areas of the airspace where the company's images from the previous day depicted several warplanes.
Oleh Zhdanov, a Ukrainian military analyst, said: "Official Kyiv has kept quiet about it, but the military has admitted it was a Ukrainian attack."
The nearest Ukrainian position is at least 200 kilometers (or 125 mi) from the base. Zhdanov suggested that Ukrainian forces could attack him with anti-ship missiles that were supplied by Ukraine or the West.
The Washington-based Institute for War Studies said it was unable to independently determine what caused the explosions, but indicates that simultaneous explosions in two different locations at the base likely caused the accidental fire. Rejected, but not sabotaged. or missile attack.
However, it continued: "The Kremlin has little incentive to allege that Ukraine launched attacks that resulted in damage because such attacks would expose the inefficiency of Russian air defense systems."
The Kremlin has reported numerous fires and explosions on Russian soil close to the Ukrainian border throughout the conflict, attributing some of them to Ukrainian attacks. Most of the time, the Ukrainian authorities have been silent about the events, preferring to keep everyone in the dark.
Regarding its own casualties, neither side has made much information public. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed nearly 43,000 Russian soldiers were killed in his nightly video address on Wednesday.
According to US Defense Secretary for Policy Colin Kahl, the fighting could result in 80,000 casualties for the Russian military. He left it to break up the number with an estimate of the forces killed or to list the number of Ukrainians killed.
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