Ukraine Drone Attack on Crimea Kills Four, Injures 28

A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula on Sunday resulted in at least four deaths and 28 injuries, Russian-backed authorities reported. Social media videos depicted a major fuel depot ablaze in Crimea.

Following the attack, Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, announced that fuel sales at local gas stations would be suspended. Fuel would only be available to state-run companies.

Crimea, internationally recognized as Ukrainian territory, was annexed by Russia in 2014, a move that prompted sanctions from the U.S. and EU. The peninsula holds strategic importance on the Black Sea and serves as a logistical hub for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which commenced in February 2022.

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Facilities on both sides of the Crimean Bridge were hit: maritime logistics used to transport oil in the Krasnodar region and an oil depot in temporarily occupied Kerch.

In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone attack in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar reportedly killed one person. Ferry services between Crimea and Krasnodar were temporarily halted, and the bridge connecting the two regions was also shut down. Russia's Defense Ministry stated that hundreds of Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed attacks on both Crimea and Krasnodar. He stated that "facilities on both sides of the Crimean Bridge were hit: maritime logistics used to transport oil in the Krasnodar region and an oil depot in temporarily occupied Kerch." Zelenskyy also claimed successful strikes on "military logistics facilities, along with four radar stations belonging to S-400 systems and two Pantsir systems."

Ukraine has intensified its drone assaults on Russia's energy infrastructure in recent days. This follows a Ukrainian drone attack on a Moscow oil refinery on June 18, believed to be the largest Ukrainian strike on Russian territory since the invasion began. Earlier in June, Russia targeted a historic monastery complex in Kyiv.

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In addition, military logistics facilities were successfully struck, along with four radar stations belonging to S-400 systems and two Pantsir systems.