Half of Crimea Left Without Power After Overnight Explosions
Monitoring groups reported fires at fuel and transport facilities in and around Kerch, including a petroleum terminal that had already been burning since a previous attack. As a result, the Kerch Bridge was closed throughout the night for more than five hours.
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Multiple fires were reported across occupied Crimea while traffic on the Kerch Bridge was suspended for more than five hours amid reports of explosions and possible strikes on fuel and transport infrastructure.
According to monitoring groups cited by Crimean Telegram channels, fires were recorded at several locations around Kerch, including a fuel terminal that was reportedly attacked on Sunday and continued burning days later.
The monitoring group of Crimean Wind said satellite imagery showed new fire detections at the thermal power plant and a smoke plume stretching roughly 47 kilometers (29 miles).
According to preliminary reports, the strike may have hit the thermal power plant in the Arshintseve area of Kerch.
The monitoring group reports that a fire at the thermal power plant has been confirmed.
According to available information, a tank was hit, along with a part of Сrimea being left without power following the attacks.
Kyiv Post could not independently verify the reports or the extent of the reported damage.
Additional fires were reportedly observed near the entrance to Kerch, around the settlement of Bagerove, where Russian S-300 and S-400 air-defense positions are located, as well as near the Yuzhna railway station.
The group also reported signs of fire at the Port Kavkaz fuel terminal across the Kerch Strait.
Meanwhile, monitoring channel Supernova+ reported explosions across Crimea overnight and said a strike had targeted the TES Terminal petroleum storage and transshipment complex in Kerch.
Crimea seems to be the new Ukrainian focus. Watch this space, but also Belarus.
Russian-installed authorities in Crimea did not immediately comment on the reports.
Bridge closure
However, the Telegram channel providing traffic updates for the Kerch Bridge announced at 11:24 p.m. local time on Monday that vehicle traffic had been temporarily suspended.
Traffic was not restored until 5:10 a.m. Tuesday, leaving the bridge closed for more than five and a half hours.
The reported incidents come amid an intensifying Ukrainian campaign against Russian military, energy and logistics infrastructure in occupied Crimea.
Ukraine’s defense ministry declared Crimea’s beach season “closed,” citing a series of recent strikes on military and energy infrastructure across the Russian-occupied peninsula.
In a statement on Monday, the ministry said Ukrainian forces had struck multiple targets in Crimea in recent days, including a fuel depot, gas compressor stations, Pantsir and S-400 air-defense systems, and Nebo-U and Kasta radar stations.
“Weather forecast for tourists: unfavorable,” the ministry said in a brief statement accompanying the announcement.
Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, announced the measure early Sunday, attributing the decision to logistical issues.
“An important message for motorists in Sevastopol. The supply of fuel to the city is delayed,” Razvozhaev stated. “In this regard, today we are forced to suspend the release of fuel via QR codes at TES gas stations. Currently, refueling is carried out exclusively for emergency service vehicles.”
He added that further updates on the situation would be provided.
Following Razvozhaev’s statement, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, announced identical measures for the rest of the occupied peninsula.
According to Aksyonov, starting at 9:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, all gas stations in Crimea halted the sale of fuel to both individuals and legal entities, regardless of whether payment is made by cash, card, or coupons.
Fuel will now be dispensed solely to state services responsible for maintaining the security and essential operations of the region.
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