The defense ministry reported that blasts at a Russian Navy facility were caused by ammunition detonations.
Residents in Crimea's Saki region witnessed several powerful explosions on Tuesday, which went off at a Russian Navy airfield near Novofedorovka.
The Russian defense ministry said no one was hurt in the incident and that the blasts were caused by the detonation of ammunition at the base.
Images posted on social media showed clouds of smoke rising behind houses and the sound of multiple explosions can be heard in the video footage. Smoke from the scene rose high enough to be seen from nearby beaches.
Sergey Aksyonov, the head of the Republic of Crimea, acknowledged that an incident had taken place in Novofedorovka and said he would investigate the situation.
The hospitals in the Saki region and the nearby resort city of Evpatoria have sent ambulances, according to RIA Novosti.
Novofedorovka is located on the coast of Crimea about 40 kilometers northwest of the regional capital, Simferopol. The Saki base is located on the outskirts of the settlement and some personnel live in the town.
The airfield was a training center for aircraft carrier pilots during Soviet times. Since Crimea joined Russia in 2014, the Russian navy has been using it to train pilots.