British intelligence believes russia's situation worsened sharply after explosions in Crimea
russian and Ukrainian officials admitted that on August 16, an ammunition depot exploded near Dzhankoi in the north of Crimea
Rubryka reports, citing the Twitter of the UK's Ministry of Defense.
As noted by British intelligence, near the village of Maiske in the Dzhankoi district, the adjacent railway and electric substation were also damaged.
In addition, according to russian mass media, smoke was rising near the air base in Hvardiiske near Simferopol.
According to British intelligence, two of the most critical russian military airfields in Crimea are located in Dzhankoi and Hvardiiske.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 17 August 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/donFcuoRUL
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AlVp64C9Bn
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 17, 2022
Dzhankoi is also a key road and rail hub that plays a vital role in supplying russian operations in the south of Ukraine.
"The cause of these incidents and the extent of the damage is not yet clear, but Russian commanders will highly likely be increasingly concerned with the apparent deterioration in security across Crimea, which functions as rear base area for the occupation," the intelligence officers emphasize in the report.
According to British intelligence, russia's Black Sea Fleet is hiding near the coast of Crimea after a series of losses. Surface ships continue to take an extremely defensive position.
Also, British intelligence reported that fierce fighting broke out near the Donetsk airport, and russian troops are trying to capture the M04 highway.
British intelligence believes that, given its limited supply chain, the size of the stockpiles the russian army has built up will be crucial to its endurance on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
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Reference
On August 9, explosions sounded at the military airfield in Novofedorivka, Crimea. Residents of Crimea posted videos on social media that showed at least two epicenters of the fire. They also said that they heard from 7 to 12 explosions.
On August 16, the explosions were reported on another russian airbase in the village of Hvardiiske in the Simferopol district of occupied Crimea.
On the morning of August 16, explosions also rang out in the Dzhankoi district. An ammunition depot detonated. According to local media, two incidents occurred in the area at once: a fire at the transformer substation in Dzhankoi, and a detonation at the ammunition warehouse in the village of Maiske.
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