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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared on Tuesday that the war with Russia “must start and end in Crimea”
“Today, a lot of attention is focused on the topic of Crimea. And rightly so. Crimea belongs to Ukraine and we will never let it go.” Zelensky said in a Telegram video. “This Russian war against Ukraine and against the whole of free Europe must begin in Crimea and end in Crimea – with its liberation. Today it is impossible to say when this will happen. Always adding the necessary elements to the Crimean liberation formula … We know that we will return to the Ukrainian Crimea.”
However Russian media reported that President Zelensky did not directly mention the blast, with Russia denying the attack and instead blaming it for a “fire code violation” and an accidental detonation of ammunition stockpiles.
“The main reason for the explosion of some ammunition can only be the violation of fire safety regulations. There is no indication or evidence that it was done deliberately,” Russian news agency TASS said. I’m quoting an informant.
Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and used it to launch a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February. But if Ukraine attacks the base, it would mark the escalation of the war as the first known large-scale attack on a Russian military base in Crimea.
From a strategic point of view, jets hitting the Crimean air base would support Ukraine’s vital counteroffensive against the southern city of Kherson, but it also raises questions about how Russia will respond. Former President Dmitry Medvedev has issued an apocalyptic warning that Russia will retaliate if Crimea is attacked. In an attempt to downplay the feeling of a major setback on Tuesday, Russian officials denied the loss of the plane.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry sarcastically said on Facebook that it could not confirm the cause of the explosion, but “renewed attention to fire safety rules and the ban on smoking in uncertified areas”. “We cannot rule out the possibility that the occupiers will ‘accidentally’ find the characteristic ‘insignia’, ‘business card’ or even ‘DNA’,” he added.
also wrote to twitter: “The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wants to remind everyone that the presence of occupying forces in Ukraine’s Crimean territory is incompatible with the high tourist season.”
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