Explosion in the Crimea and Related Developments
In the early hours of Tuesday, August 16, an ammunition explosion occurred in the northern part of Crimea. Local authorities reported the incident near the rural settlement of Maysky, not far from the scene of the emergency.
Officials said the blast took place around 6:00 Moscow time. About 2,000 residents of the village of Maiskoye in the Dzhankoy district were evacuated as a precaution and to ensure their safety during ongoing response operations.
News agencies noted that the evacuation of people remained in progress. The reports indicated that the fire started at a substation.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that there were no serious casualties in the incident.
Officials described a fire at the storage site as taking place on the territory of a temporary ammunition storage facility belonging to a military unit in the Mayskoye area of Crimea.
It was reported that, following the fire at the ammunition storage site in Dzhanköy, no one sustained serious injuries and measures were underway to extinguish the flames.
Crimean President Sergei Aksyonov, who arrived at the scene, spoke about the civilian toll, noting that two people were injured but their lives were not in danger. He added that residents were moved away from a five-kilometer safety zone to ensure their protection. He urged relying on official information and pledged to share ongoing updates on his Telegram channel.
Some villagers reportedly left their homes by car, while authorities arranged buses to assist those who could not travel independently.
Later, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation reported that the fire at the northern Crimean substation had been localized.
Aksenov also indicated that the Crimean Railway leadership decided to halt passenger trains at Vladislavovka station due to damaged railway tracks. Passengers would be buses to reach the nearest stations.
Explosion in Novofedorovka
Recall that exactly one week earlier, on August 9, a sequence of explosions occurred at the Russian military airbase near the village of Novofedorovka in Crimea. The Ministry of Defense stated that ammunition detonated on the Saki airfield grounds. Local authorities subsequently evacuated residents.
Witnesses reported a first explosion around 15:00 local time, with subsequent detonations continuing for about an hour. Residents also observed black smoke rising from the airbase.
According to the latest information, 14 people were injured, including two children, and one person died. Several dozen apartments and private residences, along with around 20 commercial properties, sustained damage. A regional state of emergency was declared, and a criminal case was opened. A damage assessment commission was established in Novofedorovka. Military experts suggested possibilities ranging from sabotage and spontaneous combustion to criminal negligence.
Alongside these events, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency extended flight restrictions to 11 airports across the country through August 23. Airlines remain unable to schedule services to Anapa, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, and Elista.
The Crimea situation is complicated by the absence of normal air transport and a heightened terrorist threat. At the same time, regional head Sergei Aksenov asserted that there has been no mass tourist departure from the peninsula.
Note: information cited from official briefings and regional authorities is being updated as events develop, with ongoing public communications through official channels.