Sabotage?

Explosions at Russian ammunition depot were due to "sabotage," says defense ministry

From Vasco Cotovio, Tim Lister and Petro Zadorozhnyy

The Russian Ministry of Defense has blamed sabotage for the explosions at an ammunition depot in Kremlin-occupied Crimea, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.

“On the morning of August 16, as a result of sabotage, a military warehouse near the village of Dzhankoi was damaged,” the ministry said in a statement, according to RIA.

“There are no victims with serious injuries. Necessary measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of sabotage," it added.

The ministry statement did not clarify how much military equipment and ammunition may have been damaged or destroyed, but the Ukrainian military said several air defense systems had been deployed to the area.

Footage posted on social media a week before the incident shows large ammunition stacks and several military vehicles with pro-war "Z" symbols on their side.