Ukraine Strikes Crimea Infrastructure in Push to Isolate Russian-Held Peninsula

Ukraine said Tuesday its forces struck a railway bridge, a power plant and other key infrastructure targets in Crimea, escalating a campaign aimed at isolating the Russian-occupied peninsula at the height of the summer tourist season. The drone attacks disrupted energy and logistics systems, with parts of Crimea losing power and Russian authorities suspending gasoline sales to civilians.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported that drones hit an oil storage depot at the Kerch thermal power plant in eastern Crimea, an electrical substation in the west, and a liquefied natural gas distribution station in Simferopol, the peninsula's second largest city. Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said they destroyed a rail bridge over the North Crimean Canal near Rozdolne, describing it as a key supply route for Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said last week that his forces are "isolating Crimea with drones." He added that "in the nearest time, Crimea will become an island. This could lead to some very unexpected consequences for Russians." Crimea's Russia-appointed leader Sergey Aksenov said four people were killed and 28 injured in a drone attack on the Kerch Peninsula.

The peninsula was seized and illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, a move that Kyiv has never recognized. Ukraine's long-range strikes have highlighted its ability to inflict damage on Russian interests while Moscow's recent battlefield advances have slowed, according to Western analysts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said sustained foreign support is locked in to help stop Russia.

Ukrainian officials have shown renewed vigor regarding the war. Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Andrii Melnyk said Kyiv remains open to direct talks with Russia for a "just and lasting peace" based on the U.N. Charter but warned that willingness to compromise is not open-ended. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was warned that Ukraine intended to disrupt energy supplies and Russia's tourism industry in Crimea.

Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, said the intensified attacks are retaliation for Crimea's 2014 decision to rejoin Russia and urged Crimeans to show restraint.