Russian Ammunition Depot Hit during Ukrainian Drone Attack in Crimea, Says Official

(Reuters) - An ammunition depot was hit during a Ukrainian drone attack on Dzhankoi in Crimea early on Monday 24 July 2023, with Russian air defence forces shooting down or electronically jamming eleven drones over the area, a Russian-installed official said.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, also said that a residential building was damaged in the area.

He said there was no indication of any casualties, but people within a 5 km radius of the incident were being evacuated.

It was not immediately clear whether the ammunition depot was directly hit by a drone or if it was damaged by falling drone debris.

Russia has a military air base near Dzhankoi. Ukrainian officials have long said the city and surrounding areas have been turned into Moscow's largest military base in Crimea.

Aksyonov also said on the Telegram messaging app that "for safety reasons" railway and road traffic in the area was suspended.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports of the attacks. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the alleged attack.

Ukraine rarely publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has been saying in recent months that destroying Russia's military infrastructure helps Kyiv's counteroffensive.

It was the second such attack in three days in Crimea. On Saturday 22 July 2023, Aksyonov said a drone caused an explosion at an ammunition depot in central Crimea, prompting authorities to evacuate nearby people and briefly suspend road traffic on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia.

Ukraine did claim that incident, saying its army had destroyed an oil depot and Russian army warehouses.