Yuliia Taradiuk

According to the General Staff, Ukrainian forces hit the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in the city of Kstovo in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on July 2 as part of efforts to "reduce Russia's military and economic potential."

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 long-range drones during the attack, most of which targeted Kyiv.

Zelensky said Russia is preparing a new mass strike against Ukraine as attacks across several regions killed at least six people and injured more than 100.

While Ukrainian forces are carrying out daily strikes on logistical and military targets in Crimea to further isolate the occupied peninsula, Ukrainian residents there say the campaign has given them hope of a possible deoccupation for the first time since the 2023 counteroffensive. "I understand that we are far away from this (deoccupation), but we haven't had such hopes since 2023. And there has been no such 'carnival' in Crimea ever before, and we know that more is to come," a Crimean reside

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of June 27: * Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea announce state of emergency amid intensified Ukrainian drone attacks * Ukrainian strikes hit energy, oil infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea as power outages continue, military confirms * Ukraine destroys key log

"We spent the whole night in a shelter." "The cafes are all open… but they ask for cash or a bank transfer; many cafes don't have electricity." "As for fuel, I still recommend bringing some with you whenever possible." "Those who traveled to Crimea every year can't be scared by anything." These are just a few messages from a Telegram group where tourists in occupied Crimea discuss conditions on the peninsula. Nighttime explosions, long queues at gas stations, and oil slicks along the coast h

The civilians were detained by Russian forces during the occupation of Mariupol and parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022.

The strike is part of a 40-day campaign approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he said is aimed at "compelling" Russia to end the war.

Russia launched 129 Shahed-type attack drones overnight on June 27, Ukraine's Air Force said.

"We understand that we will meet daytime demand through nuclear power, imports, distributed generation, and renewable energy, but unfortunately, we will have to rely on consumers to balance evening peaks," Vitaliy Zaichenko, CEO of state grid operator Ukrenergo, said.

Russian forces retreated under "heavy fire," with the evacuation of surviving personnel continuing, the statement read.

Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi said on Facebook on June 25 that several Ukrnafta gas stations in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts came under attack.

"Our long-range operations are a consistent, precise response to Russia's dragging out the war and attacking Ukrainian cities and communities," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The latest attack comes as the peninsula's energy grid has come under strain in recent days after Russian proxy authorities said widespread power outages in occupied Crimea on June 23 left approximately half of the peninsula without electricity.

Among the 15 children rescued over the past week was 13-year-old Sofia, who had to hide at home every day so the Russian occupation authorities would not discover that she was refusing to attend a school under Russian rule.