What Happened: A series of explosions occurred at Russia's Saki military airfield in the village of Novofedorivka on the southwestern coast of Crimea in an apparent attack by Ukrainian forces, The Washington Post reported Aug. 10. The Ukrainian air force said nine Russian warplanes were destroyed at the airbase, but Ukraine has not officially accepted responsibility for the attack.

Why It Matters: The attack demonstrates Ukraine's ability to strike at greater distances than previously known, as the airfield is located beyond the range of standard ammunition for the U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and the United States has not acknowledged giving Ukraine long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rockets. It appears most likely that Ukraine modified its Neptune anti-ship missiles for ground attack and flew them over the Black Sea to avoid Russian anti-air defenses. The strike could be a sign that Ukraine will conduct more strikes in Crimea and deeper behind the frontline, but Ukraine must first demonstrate a repeated capability to conduct such strikes. The strike has boosted Ukrainian morale and has caused a certain amount of panic in Russia, as videos on social media showed Russians fleeing Crimea across the Kerch Bridge toward Russia. Russia's official reaction to the explosions, denying that they were the result of a Ukrainian attack, is a positive sign for Ukraine, as it suggests that Moscow will respond to future attacks on its seized territories of Ukraine similarly, rather than escalating the war. The strike could also be a sign that the United States is preparing to supply Ukraine with ATACMS rockets, as U.S. deliveries of the rockets would be less provocative if Ukraine already is able to strike at such ranges without ATACMS.

Background: The Russian Defense Ministry initially claimed that violations of fire safety rules caused the explosion of several munitions at the military airfield.