Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Crimea and Russian Mainland – Four Dead and Fuel Crisis on the Peninsula

As a result of the massive Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russia-annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in the Kerch area, at least four people were killed. A fire broke out at the fuel terminal in the port city of Kerch, and a large cloud of smoke hung over the region, the Telegram portal "Krymski Weter" reported in the morning. There is a gasoline crisis on the peninsula. The sale of fuel on Crimea has been halted, it added.

Zelenskyy Confirms Strikes on Supply Lines

For weeks, Ukraine has been trying to cut Crimea off from supplies through escalating attacks. The Ukrainian army has recently increasingly targeted Russian refineries, oil pipelines, and fuel depots. In addition, there have been repeated attacks on strategically important roads and rail connections. At the beginning of June, train traffic on Crimea was suspended entirely following Ukrainian attacks. On the preceding Saturday, the Ukrainian military attacked railway bridges in the Crimean territories of Rozdolne and Vladyslavivka.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his country's military struck an oil depot on the Russia-occupied Crimean peninsula during the overnight attacks. The depot was located in the city of Kerch, Zelenskyy said. Oil facilities on both sides of the Crimea Bridge were hit, according to Zelenskyy. Targets on both sides of the Crimea Bridge were hit: maritime logistics for the transport of oil in the Krasnodar region and an oil depot in temporarily occupied Kerch. An oil transport facility in Russia's Krasnodar region was also hit.

Facilities on both sides of the Crimea Bridge between the Russian mainland and the peninsula were hit. According to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, an oil depot, infrastructure, and military equipment – such as radar stations – were struck on the Russia-occupied Crimean peninsula and in the neighbouring Krasnodar region. Military targets were hit, including several Russian air defence facilities.

Zelenskyy spoke of punitive measures with long-range drones in response to the brutal Russian attacks against the people in Ukraine. He published a video purportedly showing the consequences of the strikes. Zelenskyy confirmed the attacks around Crimea and praised the "successful work" of various intelligence services for strikes 300 kilometres from the front line. He described the attacks as blows against the occupiers' military logistics, the oil industry, and air defences.

The Ukrainian president also stated that Russian forces had used "alone this week around 2,200 kamikaze drones, more than 1,800 guided aerial bombs, and 87 missiles of various types against Ukraine". Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the attacks on Russian supply lines opened a "window of opportunity" for Ukraine. Fedorov also announced: "It looks as though Crimea will soon turn into an island."

Gas Stations on Crimea Halt Sales

On the Russia-occupied Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, gas stations have stopped selling fuel to private individuals and businesses. The fuel rationing for motorists planned for Sunday had to be cancelled, the Moscow-appointed Crimean head Sergei Aksyonov said. Fuel will only be available for operational services. The sale of fuel at gas stations on Crimea was halted at 9:00 a.m. (local time, 8:00 a.m. CEST).

Fuel will now only be distributed to state agencies that ensure the operation and security of the peninsula, Aksyonov added. This is intended to ensure the "functioning and security" of Crimea. The situation has worsened. "I ask everyone to remain calm," Aksyonov said in a video message. The Russia-appointed governor Aksyonov announced on Telegram that the stop had been in effect since Sunday at 9:00 a.m. local time.

The Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, informed Telegram users in the morning that fuel deliveries continued to be delayed. "Further decisions regarding the current situation on the fuel market of the Republic will be announced at a later time," the governor said. Long queues have frequently formed at gas stations on Crimea due to the fuel crisis. Fuel on Crimea had already been rationed prior to the sales stop.

Following the attacks, there were also 28 injured, the Moscow-appointed Crimean head Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram on Sunday morning. He provided no details. Another person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a ferry that operated between the Russian Temryuk district and the Kerch peninsula in eastern Crimea. According to Russian figures, four people were killed and 28 injured.

On social networks, there were reports of multiple explosions and fires in various regions of Crimea. Parts of the peninsula were without power, according to the local energy company Krymenergo. Russia also reported four deaths following Ukrainian drone attacks. Ferry connections across the Kerch Strait were temporarily suspended.

Russia occupied the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and uses it as a bridgehead in the war against Ukraine that has been ongoing since 2022. The Kremlin uses Crimea as a bridgehead in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Crimea is a strategically important location from which the Russian army repeatedly attacks other parts of Ukraine. For Russian tourists, Crimea is a popular travel destination.

Impact on Russian Energy Infrastructure

The tourism industry expects that millions of holidaymakers will stay away from Crimea this summer due to the Ukrainian attacks and the supply crisis. According to the US company Energy Intelligence, Ukraine has been able to disable one third of Russian refinery capacity with its attacks. On Tuesday, a major refinery in the Russian capital Moscow was attacked. In Russia, according to the governor, a drone attack on an oil refinery was repelled in Tyumen in Western Siberia, some 2,500 kilometres from Ukraine.

Russian Counterattacks in Eastern Ukraine

On the Ukrainian side, three people were killed in Russian attacks overnight into Sunday. In the Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions, authorities reported three deaths and several injuries. In the eastern Ukrainian Poltava region, two people were killed and 13 others injured in a Russian attack on Saturday evening, local authorities said. In Poltava, a body was found under the rubble. Another person had previously died in hospital.

The number of known injured rose to 14, including six children. Two industrial zones in the city were hit, and company buildings, vehicles, and neighbouring residential buildings were damaged. In attacks in three districts in the eastern Ukrainian Dnipropetrovsk region, there was one fatality and nine injured, the local governor Oleksandr Hantscha announced on the online service Telegram.

In the border city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, eight people were injured in Russian attacks with drones and by direct artillery fire. In six residential districts of the border city of Sumy, several buildings were damaged by shells. The Ukrainian Air Force was able to shoot down or disrupt 96 Russian drones, according to media reports. According to Zelenskyy, at least seven people were killed by Russian attacks over the weekend.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and Power Supply

The external power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been restored. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced this. This time, according to the IAEA, the power supply was interrupted for just over four hours. For the 20th time since its occupation by Russian troops shortly after the start of the war in 2022, the power supply had been interrupted due to fighting in the surrounding area. To cool the shut-down reactors, diesel generators must then supply the facility.

President Zelenskyy accused Belarus of supporting Russian drone attacks in Ukraine by setting up signal amplifiers for Russian drones on the border with Ukraine. These are to be removed within a week. Zelenskyy threatened: "Otherwise we will do it." Efforts to end the war, which has been ongoing for more than four years, under US mediation are stalling.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sent back Poland's highest decoration, the Order of the White Eagle, to Poland. He was responding to the withdrawal of the order by Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The background is Zelenskyy's decision to award a Ukrainian army unit the honorary name "Heroes of the UPA". The information cannot be independently verified. This news was broadcast on 21.06.2026 on the Deutschlandfunk programme.