Update: Drone strikes cause blackouts, school closures in occupied Sevastopol
Drone attacks targeting the port city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea overnight on May 17 damaged a substation, causing blackouts that prompted occupation authorities to close schools.
Dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and naval drones targeted Sevastopol and nearby Balaklava in the early hours of May 17, Mikhail Razvozhayev the Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, claimed via Telegram.
Debris from a falling drone hit the Sevastopol substation, Razvozhayev said. Equipment at the substation had to be shut down, triggering power outages.
Razvozhayev later announced that restoring the substation would take at least a day to complete and that the city would have to introduce spot blackouts while repairs are underway.
"In connection with the current situation, I have decided to cancel classes in all schools, secondary vocational education institutions, and kindergartens," he said.
Abbey Fenbert
Russian forces destroyed "dozens" of UAVs and over five naval drones in the region using small arms, Razvozhayev claimed. He said that Russian air defense intercepted 51 drones over occupied Crimea during the night.
No casualties were reported.
This marks the third reported attack in two days against occupied Sevastopol. Occupation officials and local Telegram channels reported attacks on Russia's Belbek military airfield outside Sevastopol overnight on May 15 and later that evening.
The partisan group Atesh said that the attacks damaged the airfield's main missile and artillery depot.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on occupied Crimea, targeting Russian military assets in and around the Black Sea.
Andrii Kharuk
