A Ukrainian drone barrage plunged Sevastopol into darkness overnight on August 13 after Ukraine reportedly struck near the Balaklava power plant.
Russian occupation authorities said they restored power through a temporary scheme.
Tu-160 Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons
Tu-160 Bomber Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Russian State Media.
Sevastopol Goes Dark
The major Black Sea port city has undergone several power outages since Ukraine began stepping up its campaign there in June.
Ukrainian strikes previously knocked out electricity across Sevastopol on June 24. Public transport was disrupted, and many shops, bars, and restaurants were forced to close early.
Ukrainian strikes on fuel refineries, transport and storage depots prompted serious shortages over the summer. Some filling stations reportedly ran dry.
Russia illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. The peninsula’s historic Tatar population was ethnically cleansed during Joseph Stalin’s leadership of the Soviet Union.
Some 1 million Russian troops and civilians were incentivized to relocate to the area in the past 12 years, while thousands of Ukrainians have emigrated.
The peninsula relies heavily on supply networks, which Kyiv is increasingly targeting.
The area’s geography means its supply lines are of the utmost strategic importance.
Most of its fuel arrives by road and rail that transit through other Russian-occupied territory to its north.
Feodosia was previously a major terminal for supplies arriving via barge, but Ukrainian strikes on its oil terminal have suspended those activities.
The Chonhar Bridge that links Crimea and occupied Kherson was also damaged by Ukrainian attacks. Separately, Ukrainian strikes hit fuel and ammunition trucks near Armiansk.
Fuel rationing has since been introduced across parts of the peninsula as filling stations in Sevastopol have run dry.
Ukraine’s Attack Strategy
Maj. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, told the Associated Press this week that the fresh slew of attacks is the opening stage of their bid to drive Russian forces out of Crimea.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been stationed in Sevastopol for centuries. Under a 1997 deal, it maintained its presence there despite Ukraine’s 1991 independence from the USSR.
The peninsula’s location at the heart of the Black Sea’s sea lanes means Moscow was able to use forces located there to seize territory across southern Ukraine.
Before Russia’s February 2022 invasion, Ukraine maintained minimal naval power.
Its strategies have since been transformed by drone warfare.
Ukrainian drones have hit some 220 vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov since July. Ukrainian strikes damaged an oil refinery and grain terminal in Novorossiysk on Wednesday.
Brovdi claims Ukrainian forces have destroyed 300-plus Russian air-defense assets over the past few months.
He said that this has unfolded despite the fact that his forces are operating on just 14% of the resources needed to carry out their full Crimea strategy. 19FortyFive cannot verify these figures.
Ordinary Russians Caught Up in War
The cost of the war to civilians is also becoming clearer to ordinary Russians, despite the fact that the majority of such casualties have been Ukrainian.
On August third Russian officials said seven people, including three minors, had been killed at the Black Sea town of Arkhipo-Osipovka due to alleged drone debris.
Kyiv has not commented. Social media footage shared by CBS News showed a drone striking near the crowded shoreline.
While Ukraine is hardly able to simply march in troops and take back Crimea, it can keep making Moscow pay for its occupation there.
Indeed, the recent blackouts in Sevastopol following hits to power infrastructure suggest that the campaign to drive Russia’s naval power eastward is well underway.
Russian Officer Killed in Crimea Bomb Attack
A Russian officer accused of being a Ukrainian defector was killed in a bomb attack in Sevastopol on Thursday.
Robert Shageyev reportedly switched allegiance to Russia during Moscow’s 2014 annexation, and has been wanted by Ukrainian authorities for high treason since July 2022.
Ukrainian website Myrotvorets described Shageyev as a “traitor” who had been “liquidated”.
Regional governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said a woman had been arrested on suspicion of the assassination.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has long made clear that Ukraine aims to reclaim Crimea.
“Our objective is to liberate all of our territories,” he told an audience in Davos in 2023.
“Crimea is our land, our territory, our sea, and our mountains. Give us your weapons, and we will bring our land back.”
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
