Moscow, 9 August 2022 (dpa/MIA) - An ammunition depot located on an airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea has exploded, according to the Russian Defence Ministry and local reports on Tuesday. Videos shared online that were said to have been recorded near Novofedorivka showed explosions and large clouds of smoke. Tourists fled from the area. There were no casualties, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Crimea's pro-Russian leader Sergei Aksyonov announced that an area within a radius of 5 kilometres around the base would be cordoned off, but made no comment on what had caused the blast. It is assumed to have been an act of sabotage as Ukrainian troops are more than 200 kilometres away. Reports in the past suggest that the Ukrainian army does not have missiles with such a range. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and ever since the war began in February, Moscow has repeatedly demanded that the peninsula be recognized as Russian territory; Kiev is refusing to give up Crimea, however, insisting that the area with its population of 2 million is still Ukrainian territory.