Drone strikes knock out Crimean power as residents queue for street meals
Long-range Ukrainian drone strikes on electricity substations in occupied Crimea have triggered prolonged blackouts, forcing residents to queue for hot meals cooked on the street, as Kyiv intensifies its campaign to isolate the peninsula from Russia’s mainland supply routes.
Drone campaign intensifies
On 21 July, the elite Ukrainian drone unit "Magyar's Birds" launched three long-range drones from a rural site towards Crimea. Each carried 50-100kg of explosives. One struck a 110kV substation in the resort town of Alushta at about 1am, part of what Ukraine calls the "switch off" campaign.
We are making history here. This is where democracy beats totalitarianism. It's like George Orwell. But this time Big Brother loses.
- Three drones launched from a rural site in Ukraine
- Drone crashes into 110kV substation in Alushta, Crimea
The unit's founder, Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, claimed that 196 Russian ships and more than 100 energy facilities have been hit in the past month, though the figures could not be independently verified.
Blackouts and food queues
In the town of Massandra, queues formed under a blazing sun as the local administration served hot meals to roughly 200 people per day. Oksana Madyud, head of the town administration, said workers were cooking buckwheat and reheated tinned beef because many residents could not use electric hobs. One resident, Alexandra, said she had been without electricity for 10 days before it was restored at 4pm the same day, though she doubted it would last. Marina, another resident, described climbing down from her 10th-floor apartment on a painful leg to search for a gas cooker.
We're preparing hot meals for people, as under the current circumstances not everyone has the means to cook hot food on electric hobs.
Civilian impact across Crimea
Fuel shortages and power cuts have disrupted daily life across the peninsula. A pensioner named Nina told DW that the lack of electricity means cooking is impossible, and public transport runs only intermittently. Ivan, a resident of northern Crimea, said that for several days fuel was unavailable even with coupons, and cars simply stopped. "There are no milk products, or fish, or meat," he said. "There are only a few shops with electricity generators, but the prices there are much higher than before." A state of emergency has been declared in Sevastopol due to repeated disruptions to electricity, water, and communications.
Broader military objectives
Beyond Crimea, Ukraine has struck three Russian oil refineries and a sanctioned container ship, the Yanina, which sank in the Black Sea after a drone attack. President Zelenskyy listed the vessel among facilities that sustain Russia's war effort. The IAEA reported that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost off-site power for nearly two hours on Saturday, the 23rd such incident since the full-scale invasion. The plant relies on external power to cool its nuclear materials.
