On Tuesday, three local witnesses reported hearing loud explosions and seeing black smoke rising from the direction of a Russian military airbase in Novofedorivka in western Crimea. A plume of smoke was visible in videos supposedly taken at the location and shared on social media. The videos could not be authenticated right away.
Two witnesses reported hearing at least 12 explosions of various strength within a minute. Three of them were very loud, causing sparks and smoke to erupt. Russia leased the naval port of Sevastopol from Kyiv for decades until seized the entire peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
Despite the intense bombardment and artillery combat in other areas of eastern and southern Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces into the country on Feb. 24, the peninsula remains under Russian control.
Two witnesses reported hearing at least 12 explosions of varied strength in a minute about 15:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT). Three of them were especially loud, causing sparks and smoke.
One more detonation, described by witnesses as the loudest of all, generated two more plumes of smoke and dust some 30 minutes later. Sirens wailed in the nearby village of Saky.
