Russian “Kalibr” cruise missiles that were being transported by train in the town of Dzhankoi, in Russian-occupied Crimea, was destroyed in a recent strike, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said according to a report by CNN.
The Monday strike took place even as ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine continued to rise. Ukraine, however, did not directly take responsibility for the Crimea blast and subsequent destruction of Russian cruise missiles.
Notably, two of the most important military airfields of Russia have been located in the Dzhankoi and Gvardeyskoye, CNN reported citing Britain’s Ministry of Defence which did the revelation in 2022. “Dzhankoi is also a key road and rail junction that plays an important role in supplying Russia’s operations in southern Ukraine,” it said.
Regarding the strike in Crimea, Sergei Askyonov, Russia’s head in the annexed territory confirmed the blast and added that the defence system was activated as a result of it.
One person was injured and two buildings were damaged, Askyonov said, according to CNN.
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to occupied Crimea on the ninth anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula, just a day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant, TASS reported.
According to Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, earlier Putin was expected to join the cultural and historical event virtually but he himself arrived at the site and gave a surprise to everyone.
The last time Putin visited the peninsula was in July 2020. He inspected the Zaliv shipyard in the city of Kerch to take part in a keel-laying ceremony for several naval ships. In December 2022, he visited the Crimean Bridge, which was being repaired after a terrorist attack, according to TASS. Earlier, on Friday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin and another Russian official. The warrant is believed to be one of the first charges against Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, part of a global effort to hold the Russian president and the Russian Federation accountable for atrocities beginning with the full-scale February 2022 invasion, reported CNN.