Now military airfields in Belarus are hit by ‘accidental’ explosions
UKRAINE has taunted Russia and Belarus over an ‘epidemic of technical accidents’ at their airfields after a base was hit by unexplained explosions.
In the week Ukrainian special forces are suspected of carrying out a surprise attack in Russian-held Crimea, up to eight blasts rocked the area by the Zyabrovka facility in Belarus.
Russian tanks and artillery are based at the airfield, including Iskander missiles that have been fired into northern Ukraine across the border 20 miles away.
Mykhailo Podolyak, one of the closest aides of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, rubbished Belarusian claims that an army vehicle had caught fire, with locals saying they felt a powerful blast wave. The incident early yesterday came less than 48 hours after Moscow blamed a breach of fire regulations for a series of explosions in Crimea, which it annexed illegally in 2014.
Blasts at the Saki airbase destroyed at least nine Russian warplanes.
Satellite images released yesterday suggest it was a targeted attack and debunk Russian suggestions that none of its military fleet was damaged, showing large craters and at least eight planes blown up.
Thousands of Russian holidaymakers fled the peninsula following the explosions.
Without claiming responsibility for the Zyabrovka blasts, Mr Podolyak said: ‘The epidemic of technical accidents at military airfields of Crimea and Belarus should be considered by the Russian military as a warning – forget about Ukraine, take off the uniform and leave. Neither in occupied Crimea nor in occupied Belarus will you feel safe. Karma finds you anywhere.’
Even if it were behind the attacks, Ukraine is unlikely to claim responsibility because of the Russian retaliation it would face.
The explosions in Belarus followed the arrival of Russian Il-76 transport planes to Zyabrovka yesterday, which are thought to have brought in air defence equipment.
President Zelensky warned Russian president Vladimir Putin that Ukraine would inflict huge casualties on his armed forces until they pulled out of the country, adding: ‘The more losses the occupiers suffer, the sooner we will be able to liberate our land and guarantee Ukraine’s security.
‘If almost 43,000 dead Russian soldiers do not convince the Russian leadership that they need to find a way out of the war, then more fighting is needed, more results are needed to convince.’
After announcing more military aid to Ukraine, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said last night that Russia would never be able to seize the whole country.