Russian-backed officials said four people were killed and 28 injured in Crimea after Ukraine struck military, energy and logistics targets across the occupied peninsula.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A large Ukrainian drone and missile barrage struck Russian-occupied Crimea, killing four people, injuring 28 others and forcing local authorities to suspend fuel sales across the peninsula, Moscow-backed officials said Sunday.
Ukraine said the attack targeted Russian military logistics, energy infrastructure and air defense systems in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 and has used as a key supply base throughout its four-year war against Ukraine.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Russia-backed governor of Crimea, said the casualties occurred on the Kerch peninsula, the eastern section of Crimea closest to Russia.
“As a result of the enemy’s drone attack on the Kerch peninsula, unfortunately, there are casualties among the civilian population,” Aksyonov said.
“According to the latest information, four people were killed, 28 were wounded,” he said.
Aksyonov later announced that fuel sales at Crimean gas stations had been suspended beginning at 9 a.m. local time June 21. He said fuel would be made available only to state enterprises.
“Today, June 21, starting from 09:00am (0700 GMT), fuel sales at Crimean petrol stations have been suspended,” Aksyonov said.
The attack also left part of Crimea without electricity, according to Krymenergo, the local utilities company.
The strike extended beyond the peninsula. Authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, which borders Crimea, said one person was killed on a ferry and that an oil terminal was hit during the wider raid.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s forces struck targets tied to Russia’s military supply chain and energy sector.
“Last night, our long-range sanctions targeted the occupiers’ military logistics, oil industry and air defence,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
Ukraine refers to its long-range strikes on Russia and Russian-held territory as “long-range sanctions.” Kyiv has repeatedly said it does not target civilians.
“All of this is a just response to Russia’s brutal attacks against our people,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces also hit the Crimean Bridge, which links the occupied peninsula to Russia, as well as radar and air defense systems.
Crimea has become one of the most important logistics hubs for Russia’s military operations in southern Ukraine. The peninsula, along with occupied southeastern Ukrainian territory, provides Moscow with supply routes for troops, ammunition, fuel and equipment.
Ukraine has expanded its long-range drone capabilities and says it can now strike along the land corridor Russia uses to supply Crimea and forces positioned in occupied territory.
The latest barrage was one of the largest attacks on Crimea in recent months and came as Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Kyiv has targeted refineries and fuel facilities deep inside Russia, arguing that oil revenue helps fund Moscow’s war.
Earlier this week, Ukraine struck a large refinery in Moscow twice.
Fuel pressure has been growing inside Russia. Some gas stations introduced rationing this month, and fuel exports have been banned since April.
Energy Intelligence, a U.S.-based energy research firm, said earlier this month that roughly one-third of Russian oil refining capacity had gone offline because of Ukrainian attacks.
Russia, the world’s third-largest oil producer, has not been able to fully shield its energy sector from Ukrainian drones despite extensive air defense systems.
The latest attack in Crimea followed additional Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine overnight that killed three people, according to Ukrainian officials.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled, and fighting along the front line has settled into a grinding standoff.
The Crimea strikes show Ukraine’s continued effort to shift pressure behind Russian lines by targeting logistics routes, fuel supplies and air defense systems that support Moscow’s war effort.
For Russian-backed authorities in Crimea, the immediate impact included civilian casualties, power disruptions and a temporary halt to public fuel sales, underscoring the growing vulnerability of the peninsula as Ukraine expands its long-range strike campaign.
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