VIDEO | Russian civilians are fleeing Crimea en masse by car
Footage showing huge convoys of cars in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, has gone viral on social media. Long lines of cars carrying Russian civilians were filmed yesterday after large explosions rocked the Russian Saki airbase in western Crimea.
As British writes Телеграф, civilians are leaving Crimea, fearing for their safety.
Although official Kyiv is silent about the explosions in the Russian military base in Crimea, a senior Ukrainian official, on condition of anonymity, said that Ukrainian special forces were responsible for the fierce explosions that destroyed the Ukrainian base on Tuesday.
"I don't want to leave Crimea. It's so beautiful here. I got used to it here, as if we were at home. Everything was so beautiful," said a Russian woman who fled Crimea with her family.
Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, is a popular tourist destination for Russians, especially in the summer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war in that country "started with Crimea and must end with its liberation."
"This Russian war started with Crimea and must end with Crimea, its liberation," Zelensky said after a series of explosions rocked a Russian air base in Crimea.
Otherwise, on Tuesday, several explosions hit the vicinity of the settlement of Novofiodorovka in Crimea, and the Ministry of Defense of Russia announced that aircraft ammunition exploded on the territory of the Saki airport.
The number of injured in the explosions at the airport rose to 13, and one person died.