Explosions reported at Russian airfields in Krasnodar Krai, occupied Crimea
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Explosions rang out at Russian airfields in an apparent Ukrainian attack on Russian military targets in the Black Sea region overnight on March 13, Russian Telegram channels reported.
Several explosions rocked the Khanskaya military airfield near the southern Russian city of Maykop in Krasnodar Krai in the early hours of March 13, the Supernova Telegram news channel reported.
Videos posted to social media appear to show fireballs light up the night sky as air defense systems reportedly operated over the region.
Shortly thereafter explosions were heard near Russia's Belbek military airfield and separately at the nearby Kacha airbase in occupied Crimea between 5-5:30 a.m. local time, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported.
No information was immediately available on the apparent targets or the extent of damage caused.
The claims cannot be independently verified, and Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attacks.
Kyiv regularly strikes Russian military targets in an effort to diminish Moscow's fighting power as it continues to wage its war against Ukraine.
All three Russian military installations have been subject to previous attacks given their proximity to Ukrainian-held territory, with Kyiv regularly targeting ammunition depots and fuel holding tanks on the premises.
The Khanskaya military airfield is located on Russian territory approximately 290 kilometers (180 miles) from Ukraine and about 450 kilometers (280 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, while the Kacha and Belbek facilities are located near the city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea.
Earlier in the day, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent that Ukrainian forces struck infrastructure at the Tikhoretsk oil pumping station in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, one of the largest oil logistics hubs in southern Russia.
