Videos: Large Crimea Explosions as Russia Warns of Ukrainian Drone Attacks

Videos circulated on social media on Saturday morning showing more large explosions in Crimea, just days after an attack against the Kerch Bridge, which connects the peninsula to Russia that forced thousands of residents to evacuate.

The explosions come nearly 17 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Although he hoped for a quick victory, Kyiv's stronger-than-anticipated response, which has been bolstered by Western military aid, has prevented Russia from making progress in recent months as the war continues to stagnate.

As Ukraine hopes to reduce the amount of territory in Russian hands, its leadership are now allegedly making a play to regain control of Crimea, a peninsula Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Control of the Crimean Peninsula is critical for Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since it offers access to key ports on the Black Sea.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed on Saturday that their forces launched strikes against Russian oil depots and warehouses against a Crimean village in a statement posted to their official Telegram channel.

"Defense forces of Ukraine have destroyed an oil depot and warehouses of the Russian army in the temporarily occupied village of Oktyabrskoye," the statement reads. "Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

Meanwhile, videos posted to Twitter showed massive towers of smoke rise over the region following the attacks. One video posted by Insider Paper showed a billow of smoke rise above a damaged building as cars, including apparent Russian military vehicles, continue to drive.

The Ukrainian newspaper the Kyiv Post also reported video showing a tall bill of smoke above a village, adding that local residents said they heard the explosion.

The explosions forced authorities to again close down the Kerch Bridge, only four days after it reopened following the previous attack, Politico reported.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment via email.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian governor of Crimea, wrote in a Telegram post that preliminary data points to "no damages or casualties" due to the explosion, but that authorities have decided to evacuate the population within a 5-kilometer radius of the attack site and suspend traffic on the Crimean railway.

Aksyonov wrote in a second post that the attack was caused by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

Russia-Ukraine War Sees New Attacks in Crimea

The explosions are the latest claimed attack against Crimea amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Recent weeks have seen several attacks against the strategically critical Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to mainland Russia. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said Monday that two Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles struck the bridge just after 3 a.m. local time, though Kyiv did not immediately claim responsibility.

Photos and videos from after the explosion revealed widespread damage of the bridge that has forced its closure. Russian officials have also urged thousands of tourists and residents to flee the peninsula following the attack.

While Ukraine hasn't taken credit for the explosion, Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of Ukraine's parliament, wrote on Telegram that anyone involved in the attack "should be presented with the highest state awards," calling it a "huge success" for Ukraine.

Zelensky said the bridge is a military target of Ukraine at the Aspen security conference on Friday, adding that it's "used to feed the war with ammunition," Reuters reported.

"For us, this is understandably an enemy facility built outside international laws and all applicable norms. So, understandably, this is a target for us," Zelensky said. "And a target that is bringing war, not peace, has to be neutralized."

Update 07/22/2023 11:28 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.