Someone was smoking in the wrong place, in several places at the same time – Ukraine’s Defence Minister says of Crimea explosions
YEVHEN KIZILOV – FRIDAY, 12 AUGUST, 2022, 17:19
Oleksii Reznikov, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, has suggested that the explosions in occupied Crimea could have been caused by careless smoking - in several dangerous places at the same time.
Source: an interview with Reznikov on Danish television
Details: The TV host asked the minister whether Ukraine was behind the attack on the military airfield in Crimea. Reznikov replied that the reason, most likely, was that soldiers at the air base were smoking in a prohibited area.
Quote: "I think some Russian soldiers just broke the security rules at the base. It looks as if they threw their cigarette butts away in several places at the same time, and here we see the result. It’s very dangerous to smoke in dangerous places."
The TV presenter smiled, assuming that the defence minister was being sarcastic, but Reznikov calmly went on with his story.
Quote: "When we see the satellite images, we will understand the true consequences of such carelessness. I think they lost several planes, shells, rockets, etc."
Reznikov added that Russia has been using this airfield as its main base for attacks on Ukraine. Bombings and shelling of Ukrainian territories have been carried out from there.
Background:
- On 9 August in the afternoon, explosions occurred at the military airbase in Novofedorivka, in the Saky district of Russian-occupied Crimea.
- The Russian Defence Ministry claims that the fire at the Saky airfield in Crimea was caused by a detonation of air ammunition.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that on 9 August Russia lost nine combat aircraft at the Saky airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea. The Planet Labs service has published satellite photos that prove it.
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