A Ukrainian drone strike has hit Russia’s Navy headquarters in Crimea, causing a huge explosion.
It is the latest in a string of mystery blasts, believed to be inflicted by Ukrainian forces, deep in the occupied peninsula.
Intelligence officials revealed last night how strikes have crippled the invaders’ military capabilities, and have displayed Kyiv’s ability to wreak havoc on Russian logistics.
It follows a huge blast at a Russian air base in Crimea last week. Western officials have now revealed the incident knocked out half of Russia’s Black Sea naval aviation force.
A source said: ‘They’ve lost their flagship Moskva, they lost Snake Island, they lost half of their naval aviation package and their military headquarters was struck. I think we can assume attacks by Ukrainians behind enemy lines.’
A Ukrainian drone strike has hit Russia’s Navy headquarters in Crimea, causing a huge explosion
The explosions were reported at an air base near the village of Belbek, on the south-west coast near Sevastopol, HQ of Vladimir Putin’s Black Sea fleet.
On the opposite end of the peninsula, the sky has been lit up at Kerch near a huge bridge to Russia, with what Moscow has claimed was fire from its air defences.
Inside Russia, two villages have been evacuated after explosions at an ammunition dump in Belgorod province, more than 60 miles from territory controlled by Ukrainian forces.
Kyiv also announced a strike on a bridge at the Kakhovska Dam, near Kherson – one of the last routes for Russia to supply its troops on the west bank of the Dnipro River.
Such attacks were having a ‘significant psychological effect on the Russian leadership’, said the official.
Russia has denied any aircraft were damaged in what it called an accident at the base, although satellite pictures showed at least eight warplanes completely burned out.