Explosions rock occupied Crimea, smoke seen in Sevastopol Bay

nv.ua:  Explosions rocked the northern Dzhankoy district of occupied Crimea early on Aug. 9, the Crimean Wind Telegram messenger said in a report.

Eight Russian helicopters were scrambled in response, flying through Crimea’s Nyzhniohirsky district toward the Sea of Azov.

The Kerch Bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula and Russia has been shut down on both sides, causing traffic jams.

At the same time, Sevastopol Bay is seen full of smoke.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the so-called “governor” of Sevastopol, claims the incident is related to the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s military drills.

Two maritime drones attacked Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai on Aug. 4. Subsequently, a video emerged of the large Russian landing ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak listing heavily to starboard. The ship was towed to port.

Powerful explosions were also heard near the Crimean Bridge. The Russian tanker Sig, transporting fuel for the Russian military, sustained damage. The vessel began to sink in the Kerch Strait.

By morning, Ukraine’s SBU security service confirmed it had launched a special operation attack on the Russian tanker using an underwater drone.

Russia has de-concentrated its naval fleet in the Black Sea amid “minor panic,” Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the Southern Ukraine Defense Forces, said on Aug. 8.