There Were 24 Aircraft At Russian Military Airfield In Crimea, Where Fire Occurred - Grozev

At a military airbase in the village of Hvardiiske, Simferopol district of Crimea, where a fire broke out today, 24 Russian aircraft were deployed. Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev announced this on Tuesday, August 16, citing Russian media on his Twitter.

"Russian media report of a new airbase fire in Crimea today, this time on the military air-field at  Hvardeyskye (Gvardeyskoe). It housed 12 SU-24М and 12 SU-25СМ planes and was integrated with the Russian Navy," Grozev wrote.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on the morning of August 16, explosions sounded in the Dzhankoi district of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia called the explosions in the Dzhankoi district of temporarily occupied Crimea sabotage. According to the "head" of Crimea Sergey Aksenov, two civilians were injured as a result of detonation in the Dzhankoi district. Meanwhile, detonation at an ammunition depot in the Dzhankoi district of Crimea continues. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated so far.

On August 16, the speaker of the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat, said that the explosions at the military airfields of Crimea on August 16 are "non-compliance with fire safety rules."