Eight Russian combat jets were lost in this week's explosions at the Saky military base in western Crimea, weakening the Black Sea aviation fleet of the Russian navy, Britain reported on Friday.
Even though the damaged aircraft only make up a small portion of the total fleet, Britain claimed that because Saky serves as the main operational station, Black Sea capability would be compromised.
The dispersal area of the base airfield had likely sustained substantial damage, but the base airstrip itself was still likely functioning, the British defence ministry noted in a routine intelligence warning on Twitter.
The ministry stated that the blasts, which Russia claims resulted in one fatality and five injuries, will cause its military to reevaluate the danger perception in the area.