Ukraine Strikes 38 Russian Energy Facilities in Occupied Crimea and Donbas in July 2026

Since the beginning of July, Ukrainian drones have struck 38 energy infrastructure facilities in temporarily occupied Crimea and the temporarily occupied parts of the Donbas, as reported by Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) Robert “Madyar” Brovdi.

In a statement published on July 6, Brovdi said the widespread power outage followed a sustained campaign targeting Russian-controlled energy infrastructure.

“The Crimean switch finally gave out on the 38th strike carried out by the Birds of the Unmanned Systems Forces over six days in July. The occupation authorities have acknowledged a blackout affecting all cities and districts of Crimea, including Simferopol. Between July 1 and 5, the Birds of the SBS intensively struck 37 energy nodes in Crimea and the occupied southern territories,” he said.

According to Brovdi, the latest strike overnight targeted the 330-kV Simferopol electrical substation, a key component of the peninsula's high-voltage transmission network.

He described the attack as the “38th” strike in the ongoing campaign and said it was carried out by operators from the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the 9th Kairos Battalion of the 414th Separate Brigade “Birds of Madyar,” the 412th Nemesis Brigade, and the Phoenix unit.

“You worms, of course this isn't the end for you yet—it's only the beginning of deoccupation. Let's see what happens by the hundredth stop on our journey through your power grid this July. You'll be announcing the cascading collapse of the peninsula's energy system later. By then, there won't be any electricity or communications left, so you'll have to rely on carrier pigeons,” Madyar said.

The development comes amid 40-day strategic operation authorized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and led by the Security Service of Ukraine, aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow through attacks on military facilities, defense industry sites, logistics hubs, and critical energy infrastructure supporting Russia's war effort.

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