Video footage of the blast, resembling the detonation of rocket fuel, was shared online by local Telegram channels.
The Ukrainian Geointelligence project Cyberboroshno geolocated the incident near the village of Kurhanne in the Simferopol district. Analysts suggested that the explosion may have involved a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system taking up a temporary firing position in the area.
Read more: New Footage Reveals Devastating ATACMS Strikes on russian S-400 System
“Close to the site of the explosion is a former S-400 missile position that had been abandoned due to repeated Ukrainian missile and UAV strikes on Crimea. However, the area’s elevated terrain may have led to a SAM system being temporarily deployed there today,” Cyberboroshno reported.
Footage of the explosion bears striking similarities to previous instances of detonating warheads from S-300 or S-400 missile systems. Notably, an S-400 launcher was destroyed in Crimea last August, with the event captured by a reconnaissance drone from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.
This latest incident follows closely on the heels of the reported destruction of a russian 48YA6-K1 Podlet radar in Crimea on November 28.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Strike russian S-400 System’s Radar Station Used in Ground-To-Ground Mode
