A Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian-held Crimea peninsula killed at least four people and wounded 28 others, Russia-backed officials in the region said on Sunday.
What do we know so far?
Video circulating on social media shows a major fuel depot in Crimea on fire.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, announced that fuel sales at Crimean gas stations would be halted on Sunday, with fuel sold only to state-run companies.
Crimea is an internationally recognized Ukrainian territory that was annexed by Russia in 2014, subject to US and EU sanctions. Crimea holds a strategic position on the Black Sea and is also a logistics asset for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, scheduled to begin in February 2022.
A separate Ukrainian drone strike was also reported in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, with local officials saying one person was killed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed the attacks on Crimea and Krasnodar.
“Facilities on both sides of the Crimean Bridge were affected: maritime logistics used to transport oil in the Krasnodar Territory and an oil depot in temporarily occupied Kerch,” Zelensky said. “In addition, four radar stations belonging to the S-400 system and two Pantsir systems, as well as military logistics facilities, were also successfully attacked.”
Ukraine moves drones targeting Russian energy infrastructure
Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks on Russia in recent days.
Ukraine launched a drone attack on Moscow on June 18, targeting an oil refinery, considered the largest Ukrainian attack on Russian territory since the beginning of Russia’s invasion. It came after Russia attacked a historic monastery complex in Kiev earlier this month.
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