THIS is the dramatic moment a Russian train packed with deadly Kalibr missiles was wiped out in a suspected Ukrainian drone onslaught.
Shocking footage appeared to show the shipment of cruise missiles destined for Putin's Black Sea fleet exploding into a huge fireball in Dzhankoi.
Ukraine said "multiple" cruise missiles were destroyed by an explosion in the city – but did not confirm it was responsible or what weapon had been used.
It said the Kalibr missiles – designed to be blasted from warships and subs in Russia's Black Sea fleet – had an operational range of more than 1,550 miles on land and 233 miles at sea.
"An explosion in Dzhankoi city in the north of temporarily occupied Crimea destroyed Russian Kalibr-KN cruise missiles as they were being transported by rail," Ukraine's intelligence directorate said.
It added the blasting of missiles continues "the process of Russia’s demilitarisation and prepares the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea for de-occupation".
Read more on the Ukraine war
Putin mocked for ‘using body double’ as Ukraine minister spots odd chin clue
Putin and Xi Jinping to make statements today amid Crimea attack
Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky has vowed to recapture all the Ukrainian land Russia currently occupies – including Crimea.
A Russian military air base is located near Dzhankoi – with Ukraine claiming the city and nearby areas have been turned into the largest Moscow military base in Crimea.
Russia has repeatedly used the Kalibr missiles in strikes on Ukraine – fired from its ships in the Black Sea.
And Dzhankoi is a key road and rail hub for Russian forces.
Most read in The Sun
Gerrard bags new job after Aston Villa axe in move described as a 'major coup'
Mum-of-22 Sue Radford in car crash which leaves family motor mangled
Star Wars Ewok star dies after life tragically spiralled out of control
The weirdest new Covid symptom revealed and 2 other strange signs to know
Ihor Ivin, the Russian-installed head of the city, said the blast was caused by drones laced with shrapnel and explosives and targeted civilian sites.
Ivin said a house, school and supermarket went up in flames, and the power grid was damaged.
A 33-year-old man was also rushed to hospital with shrapnel injuries from a downed drone.
A Russian pro-war Telegram channel claimed debris showed evidence that a Chinese drone Mugin-5 Pro had been used in the onslaught.
Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russia-installed head of Crimea, claimed the drone attack was aimed at civilian targets.
"All the drones targeted civilian sites. One was hit over the Dzhankoi technical school and came down between the instruction area and a student residence," he said.
"There are no military sites nearby. The others were downed in residential areas. In addition to explosives, each one carried shrapnel."
Sergey Aksyonov, Putin’s puppet leader in Crimea, claimed the attack involved three drones.
He said: "The FSB and the Ministry of Defence are now working in Dzhankoi. Restoration work in Dzhankoi went on all night.
"At the moment, everything is under full control there."
In July last year, a submarine-launched Kalibr cruise missile killed 23 people — including three children — in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia.
Russia claimed the missile was directed at a meeting of Ukrainian air force commanders and representatives of Western arms suppliers.
The strike on Dzhankoi came just hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived for a round of negotiations with Putin with the Russian leader desperate for aid in his invasion of Ukraine.
Read More on The Sun
Major supermarket announces it’s CLOSED over Easter
Unknown European island is ‘new Mykonos’ with cheap hotels & quiet beaches
Speaking in an "informal" meeting, the Russian dictator bizarrely referred to the brutal war as an "acute crisis" as he told his Chinese counterpart that he welcomed the plan to settle the war.
The Russian tyrant told Xi that he had looked at China's proposals for a resolution of the Ukraine conflict and he viewed them with respect.
Source: Read Full Article