Fire Near Dzhankoi and in the Kerch Strait: What Is Known About Nighttime Explosions in Crimea

Explosions rocked occupied Crimea overnight, with fires reported at energy and fuel sites, while Russia claimed intercepting 85 Ukrainian drones across Crimea, Russian regions, and nearby seas.

According to eyewitnesses in occupied Crimea, explosions were heard overnight in the areas of Armyansk, Dzhankoi, Feodosia, and Simferopol. Satellite images recorded fires on April 15 in Dzhankoi and the settlements of Azovske and Maiske, as well as in the Kerch Strait. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed the alleged “downing” of 85 Ukrainian drones over the waters of the Black and Azov seas, over occupied Crimea, and across Russian territory.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported the alleged “strike” by Ukrainian UAVs on Telegram.

“Over the past night, from 20:00 on April 14 to 07:00 on April 15, on-duty air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 85 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles over the territories of the Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov, Samara, and Saratov regions, the Republic of Crimea, as well as over the waters of the Azov and Black seas,” the Russian side said.

At the time of publication, the Ukrainian military had not commented on the attack on occupied Crimea.

The monitoring Telegram channel “Krymskiy Veter” reported that satellite reconnaissance has detected fires in the Dzhankoi district — at an electrical substation in Dzhankoi and at a fuel and lubricants depot in the village of Azovske. According to their data, loud explosions were heard overnight in the areas of Armyansk, Dzhankoi, Feodosia, and Simferopol.

“Krymskiy Veter” also reported a fire in the Kerch Strait.

“At the coordinates 44.85579 36.70685 — there is a fire. This is approximately 20 kilometers south of the entrance to the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea side. What exactly is burning — a military vessel or a civilian ship — is currently unknown,” the report said.

The Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channel “Exilenova+” also published data based on the NASA FIRMS service indicating fires in the city of Dzhankoi and in the village of Maiske (near Azovske).

“The thermal signature indicates burning in the area of the 330 kV ‘Dzhankoi’ substation. The NASA FIRMS service recorded a fire in the settlement of Maiske (Dzhankoi district). The thermal signature points to burning in the area of a fuel and lubricants depot,” the report said.

The resource also reported a fire that, according to its data, broke out overnight in the waters of the Black Sea.

EMPR