Ukraine war: Crimea airbase badly damaged, satellite images show

Satellite images appear to show extensive damage and several destroyed Russian warplanes at a Crimea airbase following explosions earlier this week.

The Saky base in the west of Russian-ruled Crimea was rocked by a string of blasts on Tuesday, killing one person.

The images, from the US-based Planet Labs, show large areas of scorched earth left from fires that erupted.

The base's main runways seem to be intact, but at least eight aircraft appear to be damaged and destroyed, with several craters clearly visible.

The before and after images from Planet Labs, which monitors hundreds of satellite feeds over Ukraine, are the first independent confirmation that the base may have been damaged.

"I think that Russian military guys in this airbase ruined their very simply known rule: don't smoke in dangerous places," said Oleksiy Reznikov.

Ukraine's air force said about a dozen Russian warplanes were destroyed, although Russia denied that any aircraft had been damaged.

Any attack by Ukraine inside Crimea would be seen as an escalation of the war.

Russia sounded a warning last month when ex-President Dmitry Medvedev threatened that "Judgement Day will instantly await" if Ukraine targeted Crimea.

On 24 February this year - eight years after the Crimea annexation - Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, using Crimea as a springboard to move Russian troops deeper inside Ukraine.

Satellite images show Crimea airbase badly damaged