Ukraine’s air force says it destroyed Russian ammunition depot in Crimea

(Reuters) – Ukraine’s air force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, said on Tuesday the military had carried out a “destructive strike” on a Russian ammunition depot in Moscow-occupied Crimea on Monday.

“Once again, Ukrainian aircraft ‘destroyed’ by enemy propaganda continue to successfully perform combat missions,” Oleshchuk said on Telegram, referring to a report by Russia’s defence ministry that five Ukrainian military jets had been destroyed on an airfield in the Poltava region.

Oleshchuk did not specify the exact location but posted a video from a local Ukraine-linked Telegram channel Krymskiy Veter allegedly showing the strike on Balaklava, near Sevastopol.

Reuters could not immediately verify the statement or the video.

Russian-installed Sevastopol Governor Mihail Razvozhaev said on Monday that air forces destroyed five Ukrainian targets over the Black Sea and in the Balaklava district. He mentioned no extensive damage, except small fires in a forest and damaged cars.

Over the last two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has carried out multiple air and naval strikes on Russian targets in Crimea and caused significant damage to Moscow’s fleet in the Black Sea.

Lately, Ukraine has also intensified targeting of Russian air defence systems on the peninsula.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Alexandra Hudson)