Crimea Satellite Images Show Military Training Ground Fire Spreading

A fire that broke out at a Russian launch site for Iranian-supplied Shahed drones in annexed Crimea is spreading, satellite images show.

The blaze on Cape Chauda, where a Russian military range is located, has grown significantly over the past 24 hours, satellite images dated June 25 and 26 from California-based global imaging company Planet Labs and shared by the U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, show.

The area is used by occupying Russian forces to launch kamikaze drones at Ukrainian targets from the Black Sea peninsula, which was annexed by President Vladimir Putin in 2014.

The outlet said the satellite images indicate that the fire has engulfed buildings on the territory of the Russian military unit.

The cause of the blaze remains unclear, but it comes days after explosions and smoke plumes were reported in Cape Chauda.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Ukraine's military has claimed occupying Russian forces use the region to launch their Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, which have been used extensively in the conflict.

Illia Yevlash, the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force, told Ukrainian outlet RBC last month that Russian drone assaults are launched from Cape Chauda, but he declined to elaborate on whether Ukraine's military had the means to strike the region.

"That's classified information," Yevlash said, adding that Russia's troops have several launch sites for kamikaze drones.

Moscow rotates these launch sites to confuse Ukrainian air defense, Yevlash said.

"They [drones] can change routes within the country. For example, they might meet, then split up, then, for instance, fly around a city and attempt to penetrate a target," he explained.

"So they [Shaheds] are programmed; the Russians launching these drones analyze routes and devise new areas where they haven't launched yet or analyze previous information to use these drones in the future."

The satellite images have been shared widely on social media by observers of the war in Ukraine.

"Yesterday I wrote about a fire on occupied #Crimea, which had started at #Russia's military training ground at Cape Chauda. Look how much it's grown in 24 hours (25-26 June)," Tim White, a journalist and documentary maker, posted on X (formerly Twitter).

He added: "Whatever sort of accident they had, the invaders managed to burn some of their own buildings!"

Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.