Ammunition depot in Crimea 'destroyed' in Ukraine drone attack, cluster munition fired in Russian village

Russian-appointed head of Crimea said that an ammunition depot was “detonated” on Saturday (July 22) by the Ukrainian drone attack and ordered the people living within the five kilometres of the attack to evacuate while halting the rail traffic.

"As a result of an enemy drone strike on the Krasnogvardeisky district, there was a detonation at an ammunition depot," said official Sergei Aksyonov on Telegram. "A decision was taken to evacuate people (living) within five kilometres" of the zone, he stated, adding that: "To minimise risks, it was also decided to halt rail traffic on Crimean railways."

He said that the drone attack was “attempted” by Ukraine on infrastructure in the centre of the Moscow-annexed region.

The allegations were made five days after two people were killed in an attack on the bridge which linksCrimea to the Russian mainland.

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"The enemy attempted a raid using drones on infrastructure facilities in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Republic of Crimea," said Sergei Aksyonov, while speaking about an inland area of the Black Sea peninsula.

The governor did not state the exact location where it was hit but said that it was in the Krasnogvardeisky district which remains inland at the centre of the Black Sea peninsula.

Authorities stated that the two trains going from Moscow to Crimea's main city of Simferopol and one coming from the opposite direction had been stopped.

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He stated that emergency workers were present on the scene to handle the "possible consequences". He appealed to all Crimeans to "remain calm".

The authorities also briefly halted the road traffic across the only bridge linking annexed Crimea to Russia. "Car traffic across the Crimea bridge is temporarily closed," the Moscow-backed Crimean government stated on Telegram, adding that it was resumed after10 minutes.

No details were given by Aksyonov on exactly what Kyiv tried to hit and did not mention anything about casualties. Crimea has remained a target during Russia's 17-month Ukraine offensive, however, the attacks have intensified in recent weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday (July 21) had stated that the bridge which links Russia to the Crimea peninsula "brings war not peace" and hence it is a military target.

Cluster munitions used by Kyiv on Russian border village

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Saturday said that the Russian border village of Zhuravlevka, which is located in the western Belgorod region, was hit by Ukraine with cluster munitions on Friday (July 21).

"In the Belgorod region, 21 artillery shells and three cluster munitions from a multiple rocket launcher were fired (by the Ukrainian army) at the village of Zhuravlevka," Governor Gladkov stated on Telegram, referring to attacks which were carried out the previous day.

(With inputs from agencies)

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