Children's camps in Crimea suspended amid Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics

Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea have suspended operations at children's summer camps across the peninsula until early September, citing security concerns, occupation head Sergey Aksyonov announced on June 22.

Children currently staying at camps across Crimea will be sent home, according to Aksyonov.

The suspension comes as Ukrainian strikes on Russian military infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea and occupied parts of southern oblasts have intensified in recent months, causing transport disruptions and fuel and food shortages.

A day before the announcement, Russian media outlet Ostorozhno Novosti reported on June 21 that arrivals to the "Artek" children's camp, one of the most prominent youth camps in occupied Crimea, had been suspended.

According to the outlet, some children had already crossed the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, before being told to return.

"My children crossed the bridge, had a meal (in Crimea), and then were turned back," one parent told the publication.

Children and accompanying adults traveling to Crimea were ordered to return to their places of residence, the outlet wrote on June 22. Those who had already reached Kerch or were traveling onward to Simferopol, Crimea's second-largest city, were to be temporarily accommodated before being sent home.

Before the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, "Artek" was a Ukrainian children's camp, but after the occupation of the peninsula, Russia took control of it.

The camp was involved in the mass abduction, illegal deportation, and forced displacement of Ukrainian children, organizing "rehabilitation, recreation, and education" and spreading information about the "peacekeeping and humanitarian" goals of Russia, according to HUR.

Russian-installed Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said that the Laspi, Gorny, and Alkadar camps in Sevastopol would continue operating as planned, with arrivals scheduled for June 24-25.

Razvozhayev said authorities were taking measures to ensure the camps could function even in the event of power outages, including providing alternative electricity sources.

A wave of Ukrainian medium-range strikes have targeted occupied Crimea in recent weeks. Kyiv aims to turn the peninsula "into an island" by striking Russian supply chains to isolate Crimea from mainland Russia, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on June 17.

Ukraine's military struck fuel transit terminals and port infrastructure in the early hours of June 21 on both sides of the Kerch Strait, a key logistics corridor feeding the peninsula. A day earlier, Ukrainian drones hit gas compressors and a bridge connecting Crimea to occupied part of Kherson Oblast.

Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi, known by the call sign "Madyar," said in a post on Telegram that strikes on the night of June 21 targeted oil terminals, gas compressors, and radar systems in Crimea.