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Ukraine Suspected Of Drone Attack In Crimea

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A suspected Ukrainian drone strike targeted Russia’s famed Black Sea Fleet in Crimea as Kyiv allegedly stepped up attacks against Russian targets on the peninsula.

The attacks in Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, came as concerns mount about a possible nuclear catastrophe with a Russian-Ukrainian military standoff continuing around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

Video footage appeared to show smoke rising in Crimea’s port city of Sevastopol, where Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based. There were multiple reports of Saturday’s explosion in Crimea.

The governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said a drone flew into the roof of the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet before being shot down over naval bases.

Though he stressed that nobody was hurt, the destabilizing effect of Crimea being pulled into the war has become apparent. Of all the Ukrainian territories that Moscow occupied, its grip has been tightest around Crimea.

Russian tourists have felt comfortable and secure enough to use the peninsula as a regular holiday destination.

That was until two weeks ago.

MORE VIOLENCE

Besides Saturday’s suspected drone strike, two ammunition depots exploded in recent days, prompting people to flee.

Russian media noted that a power plant, a military storage facility, a railway track, and residential buildings were damaged, causing many to cut short their holidays.

People have been standing in long lines at Crimea’s Simferopol train station near the anxious Governor Sergei Aksyonov. He said that the “Ministry of Defense believes the explosions were sabotage.”

Aksyonov explained “that more than 3,000 people were evacuated” from several areas. “They are now in numerous temporary accommodation facilities, namely in schools. A total of 121 people are there, including 20 children. The rest have gone to their relatives,” he said. Aksyonov added that two people were injured in the recent attacks.

While Ukraine hasn’t officially claimed responsibility, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow that Kyiv’s military would answer every Russian strike on its territory. “We will not leave any of these horrific strikes unanswered,” he promised his war-torn nation. “We will establish the identity of every occupier who gives orders and executes these strikes at cities. And we will bring them all to justice in one way or another. No murderer will hide. Ukraine will not be left in ruins.”

The attacks in Crimea happened while military maneuvers in Ukraine continued around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, raising fears of a nuclear disaster.

U.N. INSPECTORS

Ukrainian President Zelensky said the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station could start to be restored by a visit of international inspectors.

He spoke after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said U.N. officials would be granted permission to visit the site.

Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for shelling the complex, which Russia controls, raising fears of an atomic disaster that could impact much of Europe and beyond.

The conflict already had international implications as millions of hungry people had to wait on grain exported from Ukraine as Russia blocked ports till both sides signed up for a grain export deal.

However, with the Horn of Africa facing drought, the U.S. announced it is planning to buy about 150,000 metric tonnes of grain from Ukraine for an upcoming shipment of food aid.