Half of Crimea without electricity after Ukrainian strikes, Russian proxy claims
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Widespread power outages in Russian-occupied Crimea have left approximately half of the peninsula without electricity, occupation authority spokesperson Oleg Kryuchkov reported on June 23.
The report follows a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike on multiple targets in Crimea, including key energy infrastructure facilities. Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi said the attack struck fuel reservoirs at the Kerch Thermal Power Plant, the Simferopol gas distribution station, and the West Crimea 330/110 kV electrical substation.
The attacks have exacerbated fuel shortages on the peninsula and mounted pressure on the power grid. Preliminary data indicates that around half of Crimea is currently without power, local media reported.
Rolling blackouts will be introduced in response, Kryuchkov told the news outlet Crimea 24.
"We are seeing almost daily attacks on Crimea's energy infrastructure," Kryuchkov said.
"There is maneuvering and redistribution of power. Preventive load shedding schedules have been introduced: if there is an overload in the Crimean power grid, they will be implemented periodically, everything depends on the situation."
Earlier in the day, the local energy operator Kremenergo reported widespread blackouts in several Crimean settlements, including Yevpatoriia, Saky, Dzhankoi, and Krasnoperekopsk. The company claimed the disruptions were due to "technical faults."
Monitoring channels reported a massive fire at the Kerch Thermal Power Plant following the attack, with a plume of smoke stretching 47 kilometers (29 miles) in the air above the site.
Before Russia's illegal annexation and occupation of Crimea in 2014, the peninsula relied on mainland Ukraine for over 80% of its electricity. Russia constructed and modernized multiple thermal power plants to enable Crimean energy independence — but these facilities remain vulnerable to Ukrainian drones.
The attacks on energy infrastructure come us Ukraine intensifies its assault on Russian military logistics in occupied Crimea. The latest strike also hit the railway bridge across the North Crimean Canal, a Pantsir-S1 air defense system, three Orion reconnaissance and strike drones, and an S-300 launcher, among other military targets.
A wave of Ukrainian medium-range strikes have targeted 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 attacks against Russian oil and energy infrastructure in the region has led to a crisis in fuel supplies. As of June 21, gas stations in Crimea have been instructed to completely suspend sales of fuel to civilians.
