Explosion at Russian air base kills at least one

Aug. 9 (UPI) -- At least one person is dead after a series of explosions at a Russian air base on the Crimean peninsula, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The blasts were caused by exploding ammunition but there was no shelling of any kind aimed at the base, the Russian Ministry of Defense said through state media RIA Novosti.

Aircraft stationed at the Saky military base on the peninsula's western coast were also undamaged.

The base is located around 30 miles north of the port of Sevastopol, which houses Russia's Black Sea Fleet and has been leading a blockade of the Ukrainian coastline.

At the end of July, Russian authorities said a drone strike hit a Russian naval facility in the city of Sevastopol, injuring six people.

In a statement on Telegram, adviser to the head of the Crimean region Oleg Kryuchkov said around 30 people living near the base were evacuated from their homes following the explosions, and that an air cordon was set up around the perimeter of the airfield.

Russian shelling of Ukraine continued Tuesday, targeting Ukrainian positions in the eastern and southern regions -- part of Moscow's military offensive to seize areas in the Donbas -- but Ukrainian officials said they made no significant gains.

Ukrainian officials said that its military held up under heavy Russian bombardment in the eastern cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Both are located in the Donetsk region, which makes up half of the Donbas.