A drone strike on a Crimean weapons stockpile forced officials to evacuate everyone within a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) radius and temporarily halt traffic on the peninsula's bridge to Russia, the regional governor said on Saturday.
According to Sergei Aksyonov, there was an explosion at the depot in Krasnohvardiiske, central Crimea, but no damage or injuries were recorded. State media footage from the scene revealed a large cloud of grey smoke.
Mr. Aksyonov blamed it on a drone strike from Ukraine. Kyiv did not respond immediately.
The brief pause in traffic on the Crimean Bridge, roughly 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the drone incident, came five days after blasts there killed two people and destroyed a portion of roadway—the bridge's second significant strike since the conflict began.
The 19-kilometer (12-mile) road and rail bridge is a crucial logistics route for Russian military, as well as a popular summer destination for Russian visitors.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the bridge is a lawful target since it serves as a military supply route for Russia.
“This is the route used to feed the war with ammunition and this is being done on a daily basis,” he said.
Russia is on high alert for mishaps at the bridge, and an official Telegram channel advises people not to panic if an alarm goes off.
In another indicator of security worries in Crimea, Mr. Aksyonov's advisor, Oleg Kryuchkov, advised people not to upload photographs of important infrastructure on the internet.
He asked anybody who knew who wrote such posts to contact the interior ministry or the FSB security service.
“Remember that a video posted on the web of military or other critical facilities is work for the enemy,” he said.
