Drone Strike Ignites Fire at Crimea Power Plant, Leaving Half the Peninsula in Darkness

Fire Breaks Out at Crimean Power Plant

According to ХВИЛЯ: A blaze at a thermal power station in the Kerch district of Arshyntseve has caused a massive blackout across occupied Crimea. Half the peninsula lost electricity, with cities including Yevpatoria, Saky, Krasnoperekopsk, and Dzhankoy left without power. The energy provider 'Krymenergo' reported outages affecting the Krasnoperekopsk, Saky, Dzhankoy, and Krasnogvardiysk districts, attributing the disruption to technical faults in the power grid. The company pledged to restore supply within 24 hours.

Ukrainian Drone Strikes Escalate

In parallel, Ukrainian drones launched a second wave of attacks on occupied territory within just three days. Explosions were heard in Feodosia, Kerch, Krasnoperekopsk, and near Shcholkine. The drones targeted an oil depot in Kerch port, the TES-Terminal oil products transshipment complex, and the Kavkaz port on the Russian side of the Kerch Strait. Satellite imagery has confirmed new fire hotspots at the oil terminal in the Kavkaz port area.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed strikes on facilities on both sides of the Crimean Bridge, emphasizing attacks on maritime logistics used for oil transport in the Krasnodar region. Following a previous strike on the night of June 21, occupation authorities reported gasoline shortages in retail and intermittent power cuts. Summer camp arrivals for children were also canceled. The Russian administration has not yet commented on the latest attacks.

Key targets in the repeated strikes include:

• Oil depot in Kerch port
• TES-Terminal oil products transshipment complex
• Kavkaz port

The peninsula now faces a fuel blockade, as supplies are ferried across the Kerch Strait, and truck traffic over the Crimean Bridge remains banned. Fuel tankers coming from occupied Melitopol are regularly hit by drone attacks. No casualties have been reported from either the fire or the strikes.

The situation in occupied Crimea highlights an intensification of military activity and the mounting challenges for the Russian administration in securing the region's energy and fuel needs. Partial blackouts and attacks on critical infrastructure could severely disrupt logistics and resource supply chains, compounding hardships for the local population and raising tensions. In the context of the ongoing war, such events risk triggering new phases of escalation between Ukraine and Russia.

The recent escalation of drone strikes in Crimea has not only caused significant power outages but also intensified the fuel crisis on the peninsula. For a deeper understanding of how these attacks are affecting daily life, including the situation in occupied Sevastopol, you can read more about the ongoing power and fuel shortages in this related report.