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Ukraine made a mocking statement on the occasion of the loud explosions that rang out today at an air base in the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

All about the topic:

Russian invasion of Ukraine 6586

"The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine cannot establish the cause of the fire, but once again draws attention to the rules of fire safety and the ban on smoking in uncertified places," the message states.

"We cannot rule out that the occupiers will 'accidentally' find some characteristic 'distinctive marks', 'business card' or even 'DNA'.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, noted on his Twitter profile that "the future of Crimea is to be a pearl of the Black Sea, not a military base for terrorists", adding that "this is only the beginning".

Demilitarization of the Russian Federation — an integral part of global security ensuring.

The future of the Crimea is to be a pearl of the Black Sea, a national park with unique nature and a world resort.

Not a military base for terrorists.

It is just the beginning.

— Mihailo Podolyak (@Podolyak_M) August 9, 2022

Reuters points out that Moscow could accuse Kyiv of crossing a red line if Ukraine admits it invaded territory Russia considers its own.

The Russian governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said a five-kilometer exclusion zone had been established around the air base.

The base is close to the seaside resorts of Novofedorovka and Saki, but the Russian Association of Tour Operators said they did not appear to have been affected.

However, a local witness told Reuters there was an official blockade of the main road from Novofedorovka, which leads in the direction of the base.

Multiple videos taken from beaches were posted on social media showing huge plumes of smoke in the distance.

Novofedorovka and Saki are about 50 km north of the port of Sevastopol, home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which Moscow used on lease from Kyiv for decades before seizing and annexing the entire peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move that did not is recognized by most other countries.

On July 31, an official in Crimea accused Ukraine of injuring five people in a drone strike in Sevastopol.

Kyiv did not comment on the accusation, BNR notes.

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