Day 168 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Explosions hit Russian Military Airbase in Annexed Crimea

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Explosions hit Russian military airbase in annexed Crimea

One person has been killed and several others wounded in an explosion at a military airbase in the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula.

The explosions were caused by the detonation of several aviation ammunition stores and Russia's Ministry of Defence clarified that there has been no attack. And no aviation equipment had been damaged, Al Jazeera reported.

Several unverified videos on social media showed the sunbathers fleeing a nearby beach as huge clouds of smoke from the explosions rose over the horizon.

Crimea's health department said that one civilian had been killed and another eight injured.

The head of Crimea's administration Sergey Aksyonov said that the ambulances and medical helicopters were sent to the Saki airbase and the area was sealed off within a radius of five kilometers (three miles).

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not directly mention the blasts in his daily video address on Tuesday but said it was right that people were focusing on Crimea, reported Al Jazeera.

"We will never give it up... the Black Sea region cannot be safe while Crimea is occupied," he said, reiterating Kyiv's position that Crimea would have to be returned to Ukraine.

Ukraine's defense ministry earlier issued a statement in a heavily suggestive tone reminiscent of its response to unexplained blasts on Russian territory, saying it "once again draws attention to fire safety rules".

If the base was, in fact, struck by the Ukrainians, it would mark the first known major attack on a Russian military site on the...