Yesterday at 20:28
Podolyak stressed that the authorities of Ukraine will insist on the voluntary dismantling of illegal structures by the Russian occupation administration. Otherwise, other methods will be employed.
“We will do it one way or another,” he promised.
“We will ask the sun, the wind, the water, and even the tobacco products to work effectively with the ammunition depots. At the same time, we will continue to insist that Russia voluntarily dismantles all the illegal bases and bridges that have been built there in Crimea for eight years.”
Podolyak also did not rule out “trouble” with the Kerch Strait Bridge, built by Russia to connect the peninsula to the Russian mainland.
“As for the Kerch Bridge, it seems that this is not a question of its military destruction,” Podolyak added.
“It may somehow collapse from fatigue. After all, it will be a little unusual for it to transport such a large number of people who will be fleeing from Crimea.”
Earlier, a series of blasts rocked the Novofedorivka airfield near the resort town of Saky, in Russia-occupied Crimea, on Aug. 9. Russia claims “several aviation munitions detonated,” causing an “accident” that killed one person and injured 14. At the same time, the Russian side did not report the destruction of any military equipment.
Later satellite imagery showed that at least a dozen Russian warplanes had in fact been destroyed.
Residents of Kerch on the eastern tip of the peninsula heard loud bangs resembling explosions on the evening of Aug. 18. Residents of Sevastopol also reported explosions near the Belbek airfield.
Explosions were also heard in Russian-occupied Crimea on Aug. 16. In the morning, an ammunition depot exploded near the village of Azovske in Dzhankoy District, and a fire broke out at an electricity transformer station in Dzhankoy itself. Later, explosions hit an air base near the Crimean capital Simferopol.
Russia blames the explosions on “accidents,” but the evidence points to these being attacks by Ukraine – either by long-range missiles or rockets or, as some Ukrainian officials have hinted anonymously, by Ukrainian special operations sabotage groups working behind enemy lines.
These explosions and supposed “accidents” have resulted in large-scale tourist flights from Crimea, primarily over the Kerch bridge.
Read also: We all need to ensure access to Ukrainian products, – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
