Massive fire at Crimea military site forces evacuation of over 2,000 people

Russian officials have reported a fire at a military site in the Kirovske district in Crimea that has forced over 2000 people to evacuate the area, leading to the closure of a nearby highway.

Crimea Governor, Sergey Aksyonov, said on Telegram on Wednesday that “a fire occurred at a military training ground”. However, the original cause of the fire is yet unknown.

Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that Kiev forces launched a successful operation there. 

“A successful operation was conducted on occupied Crimea. The enemy conceals the extent of the damage and the number of losses in manpower,” Kylylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, said in a statement.

Media reports suggested the site was a Russian ammunition depot that was targeted by a Western-supplied Storm Shadow missile fired at the base that caused the fire and repeated explosions.