Ukrainian drones hit gas storage facility in occupied Crimea, footage shows, power plant reportedly struck
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) continued their drone campaign over occupied Crimea on June 19 and overnight into June 20, striking energy facilites on the peninsula, Ukrainian officials and Russian Telegram media channels reported.
The Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Forces, Robert Brovdi, known as "Madyar," posted footage on social media of the 414th Brigade of the USF striking the Hlibivka underground gas storage facility in western Crimea.
Air defense radar and a locomotive were also targeted on the peninsula throughout the day, Brovdi added.
Following the attack earlier in the day, multiple explosions also rang out into the overnight hours of June 20, according to the Crimean Wind Telegram media channel.
A fire was seen rising from the area of the Tavriiska Thermal Power Plant in the city of Simferopol amid active Russian air defense operations. A black column of smoke was reported after a purported strike on the facility.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify reports of the overnight attack. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the latest attack.
Crimea has become the primary focus of Ukraine's effective "middle strike" campaign — using mid-range drones to hit Russian targets at operational depth behind the front, typically defined as between 25 and 200 kilometers (15 and 124 miles) from the front lines.
Kyiv has set its sights on targeting the energy facilities amid an ongoing fuel shortages in the region caused by Ukrainian strikes. At the beginning of June, Russian proxy authorities implement the use of "fuel vouchers" across occupied Crimea, as well as set limits to the amount of gasoline residents of the peninsula can purchase.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedoov said on June 17 that Ukraine's drone campaign is turning the peninsula "into an island," as Kyiv attempts to isolate Crimea from the rest of Russia with strikes on supply chains.
