Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, and areas in the Ukrainian region of Kherson under Moscow’s control experienced a significant power outage on Wednesday, as reported by authorities installed by the Kremlin. This incident has further complicated the ongoing fuel crisis resulting from increased Ukrainian attacks, according to reports from Reuters and Kyiv Post.
The blackout in Sevastopol occurred following strikes by Ukraine on energy facilities in the area, stated Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor appointed by Russia. On the same day, he had announced that Sevastopol had been targeted by drone attacks.
Additionally, parts of the Kherson region under Russian control were reported to be without electricity, either partially or completely, according to Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed governor there. Public transport, specifically trolleybuses, in Sevastopol will not operate, Razvozhayev confirmed, urging parents to keep their children at home during this outage.
Ukrainian information monitoring channels and locals reported a series of loud explosions across Crimea overnight. The primary target of these attacks was identified as the Balaklava thermal power plant in Sevastopol, one of the peninsula’s key power stations, according to the Telegram channel “Krymsky Veter.”
“We Have Endured Worse”
The extent of the damage to the power plant is still being assessed. Razvozhayev reassured residents that the city would manage despite the power interruptions. “They will not intimidate us with the lack of light. We have endured worse, and we will withstand this too,” he stated, while also urging residents to conserve their phone batteries.
Moreover, throughout the night, explosions were reported in Bakhchysarai, Kerch, and near Mount Ai-Petri, where a radar station belonging to a Russian Aerospace Forces technical battalion is located.
Kiev has intensified its attacks on supply routes to Crimea, leading to restrictions on public activities amid an ongoing fuel supply crisis.
Attack in a Remote Russian Region
In a separate incident, the Russian region of Orenburg, located over 1,000 kilometers southeast of Moscow, reported the downing of multiple drones above an industrial facility, as stated by Governor Yevgeny Solntsev on Telegram, although no details were provided. It remains unclear whether any damage occurred in this remote area, which borders Kazakhstan and hosts several industrial installations, including a gas processing plant and a refinery.
Unverified images and satellite data suggest that the gas processing facility may have been struck.
