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Blackouts and Water Crises Worsen in Occupied Crimea After New Wave of Ukrainian Drone Attacks
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A large part of temporarily occupied Crimea has been without electricity and water for three days following a series of overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on July 8 that targeted six electrical substations and a total of 53 military targets.
This is part of a broader campaign that has hit 50 energy nodes on the peninsula between July 1 and July 8, bringing the total number of targeted facilities to 37 by July 6 following earlier strikes on 12 substations, according to RBC.
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The operations also damaged a ferry in Kerch, a dry cargo ship, and 19 Russian shadow fleet tankers over the past 72 hours, causing severe utility outages across multiple districts.
According to the Russian occupation administration, the cities of Armyansk, Dzhankoi, and Krasnoperekopsk, along with their surrounding districts, are entirely without power. The city of Kerch has also experienced a complete blackout again, despite previous claims by occupation officials that the energy supply had been restored. In other areas of the peninsula, electricity is being supplied partially, with local occupation authorities stating this happens "depending on the capabilities of the power grid".
The power crisis has severely affected water distribution networks managed by the occupation enterprise Voda Krymy. Complete water supply shutdowns are reported in Dzhankoi, Krasnohvardiiske, Kerch, Armyansk, Krasnoperekopsk, Kirovske, and Leninske districts. Significant water outages also impact parts of Simferopol, Evpatoria, Alushta, Bakhchysarai, Bilohirsk, Nyzhnohirskyi, and Feodosia.
Robert Brovdi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that Ukrainian drone operators struck dozens of sites during the night of July 8.
Fire monitoring data from NASA's FIRMS satellite detected active fires at the Nyzhnohirska power substation and the NS-3 substation near Kerch. Occupation officials in Sevastopol reported the interception of 27 aerial drones, though the regional occupation administration did not report on intercepted drones.
According to RBC, residents are leaving complaints on the social media pages of local officials, demanding predictable blackout schedules and expressing frustration over a lack of accurate information.
Residents of the Rozdolne district reported that "there has been no electricity since Saturday, water has been turned on only once during this time - for an hour or a little more," adding that groceries have spoiled and store shelves remain empty.
To secure supply lines in the peninsula, the Russian military is increasingly disguising military fuel shipments as civilian water and milk tankers in an attempt to evade Ukrainian drone detection on logistics routes leading to temporarily occupied Crimea.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence and frontline commanders, these camouflaged vehicles, along with small civilian cars, quad bikes, and motorcycles, were utilized to transport fuel, ammunition, and food supplies to reduce the risk of interception.
Despite these camouflage tactics, Ukrainian drone operators identified and targeted the disguised vehicles, which repeatedly caught fire upon impact due to the gasoline and diesel fuel hidden inside. This ongoing drone campaign severely disrupted the logistical network feeding the peninsula, contributing to widespread fuel shortages and significant power outages across temporarily occupied Crimea.
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