Ukraine, Russia trade claims after blast rocks Crimean town

Russian and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday gave conflicting accounts of what appeared to be a brazen attack late Monday on Russian cruise missiles being transported by train in the occupied Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.

A Ukrainian military spokesperson indicated that Kiev was behind the explosion that reportedly destroyed multiple Kalibr cruise missiles near the town of Dzhankoi in northern Crimea, while stopping short of directly claiming responsibility.

Natalia Humeniuk, the spokeswoman for Ukraine's southern operational command, described the strike as a signal to Russia that it should leave the Black Sea peninsula it illegally took from Ukraine in 2014.

Speaking on Ukrainian TV, Humeniuk pointed out Dzhankoi's importance as a railway junction and said that "right now, the way ahead (for Russian forces in Crimea) is clear — they need to make their way out by rail already."

A vague statement by Ukraine's military intelligence agency on Monday said that multiple missiles carried by rail and destined for submarine launch had been destroyed, without saying outright that Ukraine was responsible or what weapon had been used. However, the agency implied that Kiev was behind the blast, saying it furthers "the process of Russia's demilitarization, and prepares the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea for de-occupation."

Moscow-installed authorities in Crimea on Tuesday offered a different version of events, saying that Ukrainian drones attacked civilian facilities in Dzhankoi.

Sergei Aksenov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that the attack left one civilian wounded, but caused "no serious damage."

Aksenov's adviser, Oleg Kryuchkov, rejected Ukraine's claims and said that Ukrainian drones had targeted residential areas...