Mystery Explosion Near Russia's Shahed Drone Launch Base Leaves Huge Crater

A large explosion has rocked a Russian military base reportedly used to launch Shahed drone attacks on Ukraine, according to new images and reports.

A huge crater, measuring around 13 feet deep and 32 feet wide, was formed after an unknown incident on July 2 in Russia's southwestern Krasnodar region, according to Russian Telegram newschannel, Baza. Several other Russian, eastern European and Ukrainian outlets also shared footage of the crater.

The explosion occurred around 650 feet from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield, per the Baza report. Krasnodar Regional Governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, acknowledged an "incident" in the area of Primorsko-Akhtarsk, but did not elaborate further on the cause. There were no fatalities, he said.

The explosion was "presumably the consequences of an attempt to attack a fuel depot" near the military airfield and Russian air defenses "shot down the missile," according to a Russian Telegram channel known for leaking police footage and reportedly linked to Russian security services. Russian state news outlet, RIA Novosti, reported that "specialists" from the Russian Defense Ministry were at the scene.

Newsweek could not independently verify the circumstances around the reported explosion, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry via email.

Primorsko-Akhtarsk, a base close to the Sea of Azov, is operated by Russia's Southern Military District. The military base was singled out by Ukraine's military last week as the launch point of Shahed drone strikes on Ukrainian targets.

On Friday, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 13 of the Iranian-made Shahed drones from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk military base. Air defenses shot down 10 out of these 13 "kamikaze" or suicide drones, Kyiv's air force added.

Russia has frequently used Shahed-131 and the larger -136 models to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. An inexpensive option for Russia, the loitering munitions are distinctive for the low buzzing sound they make when they approach their targets.

They are known for traveling slowly, which makes them easy to shoot down, but they can be difficult to detect before they reach their target and detonate.

On Tuesday morning, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said Moscow had "launched yet another attack using Iranian Shahed combat UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]."

The Kremlin's fighters launched 22 Shahed drones against "civilian infrastructure" in the northeastern Sumy, eastern Donetsk and southern Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine on Monday, the General Staff said in an operational update. Ukraine's air defenses intercepted 16 of the drones, the military added.

The General Staff has repeatedly reported waves of Shahed drone strikes in recent days. On Tuesday, the regional administration for the Sumy region said three people had been killed and 21 injured after Shahed drone strikes on the city of Sumy.

The strikes on Sumy prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to increase his calls for air defense systems for Ukraine.

"Unfortunately, our state does not yet have a sufficient number of high-quality air defense systems to protect our entire territory and shoot down all enemy targets," he said in an address.

"The enemy is taking advantage of this, as it is today—by inflicting another terrorist attack on the city of Sumy, with an Iranian drone, in particular on residential buildings, as well as on the building of the Security Service of Ukraine," Zelensky continued.