Black smoke is seen rising from the territory, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Image source, ReutersOne person has been killed after blasts at a military base in Crimea, the head of the Russia-appointed regional administration has said.
Sergei Aksyonov wrote on social media that the blasts had taken place at the Saky military base near Novofedorivka on the peninsula’s western coast.
Footage circulating on social media appeared to show multiple explosions.
Russia’s defence ministry later said ammunition was detonated, but this has not been independently verified.
The ministry said there was no “fire impact” on the ammunition storage area, Russia’s state-run Ria news agency reports.
The Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014 is a popular destination with Russian tourists, and one video appeared to show visitors fleeing from a beach as smoke rose in the background.
So far, the region has been spared the intense bombardment that other areas of Ukraine have suffered.
Local witnesses told the Reuters agency that they heard at least 12 blasts, beginning at about 15:20 local time (12:20 GMT).
After arriving in the area, Mr Aksyonov said a 5km (three-mile) no-go zone around the blast site had been established.
Moscow refused to speculate on the origin of the blast and Kyiv has not taken responsibility.
But Ukraine’s deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, wrote on Telegram that “today’s explosions in Novofedorivka are another reminder of who Crimea belongs to. Because it is Ukraine”.
Crimean attack would mark dramatic escalation
By Will Vernon, BBC News, Moscow
If it emerges Ukraine was responsible for this attack, that would be a significant escalation. It would be the first major attack on a target inside Crimea proper.
The Ukrainians have come close: in June 2022, the Russia-appointed “leader” of Crimea said that Ukrainian forces had fired on Black Sea oil drilling platforms in Crimean waters, resulting in several casualties. And at the end of July, Russian authorities said a drone had struck a Russian naval facility in the city of Sevastopol, injuring six.
Crimea is internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory, but Russia has ruled the peninsula for eight years and Russian state structures and military facilities are very well established.
For the Kremlin, Crimea has a quasi-sacred status, seen as “historically” Russian land that Moscow “re-acquired” triumphantly in 2014. An attack so deep inside Crimean territory would be a major embarrassment for President Putin.
And there are fears that if the Ukrainians begin systematically attacking Russian targets inside Crimea, then the Russian response could be very serious indeed. Last month, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of the powerful Security Council, said that if Crimea were attacked, then “Judgement Day will instantly await all those [involved]. It will be very fast and very hard.”
Russia’s annexation of Crimea eight years ago drew widespread international condemnation.
On 24 February, Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, using Crimea as a springboard to move Russian troops deeper inside Ukraine.
Novofedorivka and Saky are about 50km (30 miles) north of the port of Sevastopol, home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which has been leading a blockade of the Ukrainian coastline.