Satellite photos show devastation at Russian base with '20 jets destroyed and $1 billion in damage' after mushroom cloud explosion

Fresh satellite imagery reveals devastation at Russian air bases after Ukrainian missile strikes.

Broken and charred wreckage of a Russianfighter jet reported Tuesday afternoon atUkrainianair base in occupied Crimea after airstrikes can be seen in

Russia previously damaged aircraft in explosions at Saki Air Base in Western Crimeajust a few miles from a beach popular with Russian visitors.

At least one person was killed and up to 20 planes destroyed in the alleged Ukrainian attack, according to Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Interior Minister. resulting in approximately $1 billion in damage.

On Wednesday, a clip reportedly taken from the base showed his £19 million Russian fighter plane destroyed at the base. revealed the charred remains of the

Russia again denied that the blast had damaged the aircraft, refused to even admit that the attack had taken place, and strangely attributed the incident to an accident caused by an aircraft engine fire. did.

However, photos of the base released by the US satellite imaging company Planet Labs show the extent of the base's destruction, with at least seven fighters completely destroyed.

A band of scorched earth at the base also appears to indicate a series of blasts.

At least he saw three large craters next to the jet ammunition depot building, indicating that the attack could be much worse than the Kremlin previously admitted.

"One of his ways of interpreting these craters is an accurate strike from long-range ammunition," reported Elliot Higgins of the research agency Bellingcat.

He added that "either we used very accurate weapons or we were very lucky, as we did not see any effects that looked like possible mistakes." rice field.

Kyiv officials have so far failed to directly claim responsibility for the attacks, but at least he has confirmed nine aircraft were destroyed and the fires were caused by inadvertent fires. Scoffed at Russia's explanation that it could be from a smoker.

In a sarcastic Facebook post, the ministry said, "While we cannot determine the cause of the fire, we are reminded again of fire safety regulations and the ban on smoking in unspecified areas."

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense later responded to the deadly explosion with a video vandalizing Russians visiting a beach in Crimea. Russia illegally annexed Ukraine in 2014

They used highly accurate weapons or were very lucky

Elliot HigginsBellingcat

In clip shared on official Twitter account joking  The Russians may have visited Dubai, Turkey or Cuba rather than the disputed territories. Customers were seen panicking and even crying.

Footage of a nearby resort shows numerous buildings with blown out windows. Crimean authorities say at least 250 people have been moved from their homes to temporary accommodation.

A miles-long line of Russians fleeing across the main border between Crimea and Russia is depicted.

However, Russian officials downplayed the explosion. and claims Crimea's hotels and beaches, which are popular with Russian tourists, have not been affected.

Saki Air Base has been used as a base for numerous attacks against southeastern Ukraine.

It is approximately 125 miles from the nearest Ukrainian position, beyond the range of most of that country's long-range weapons, including the infamous US-supplied Himars rocket launcher.

ATACMS, the type of missile used in Himars, can travel up to 190 miles, but the US claims it has not yet been delivered.

This suggests that they may have attacked the base with Western-supplied anti-ship missiles. It is also said that there is a possibility that they are pro-Ukrainian guerrillas.

Russia demanded that Ukraine recognize Crimea as a territory before aceasefire was agreed.

Hours after the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that thewar could not end until the liberation of Crimea.

82} It was routinely used by Russian military aircraft just hours before at least eight explosions were reported at the neighboring Belarusian Jablovka air base.

Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, also downplayed reports of Wednesday night's explosion, which its Defense Ministry blamed on an engine fire.

The base is located approximately 30 km (18 miles) from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko allowed Putin's forces to enter his country months before war broke out.