The Telegraph: This Is Just The Beginning

Ukraine is cutting off Crimea by land, sea, and air.

Ukraine is stepping up its campaign to isolate occupied Crimea, striking key logistics facilities, bridges, energy infrastructure, and fuel depots. According to Kyiv’s plan, this should make it more difficult for the Russian army to use the peninsula as its main military staging ground in the south, as well as create additional problems for the occupying administration. This is reported by The Telegraph.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov previously stated that this campaign is only in its initial stages.

“Crimea is being isolated by drones. In the near future, the peninsula will become an island. For the Russians, the real hell is just beginning,” he said.

At first, Ukrainian drones began attacking land routes connecting Russia with Crimea, as well as railway infrastructure. Later, oil depots, power plants, air defense facilities, and other critical infrastructure became targets.

In recent months, tankers from the so-called “shadow fleet,” which were transporting fuel through the waters of the Sea of Azov, have also come under attack.

In addition, Ukrainian forces regularly attack bridges on key routes, including the Chongar and Genichesk bridges, as well as the R-280 “Novorossiya” highway—one of the main supply routes for Russian troops.

Satellite images, as the publication notes, have captured significant damage to the oil loading complex in the port of Kerch.

Fuel Shortages and Power Outages

According to the publication, the consequences of the attacks are being felt not only by the Russian military but also by residents of the occupied peninsula.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on the spread of fuel shortages across Russian regions. In Crimea, the occupying authorities were forced to temporarily restrict gasoline sales to private individuals.

At the same time, an illegal fuel market has emerged on the peninsula: gasoline is being sold at significantly higher prices through Telegram channels and online platforms.

Residents are also reporting disruptions to electricity and water supplies.

“They turn the lights off and on basically whenever they feel like it, but there can be long periods with almost no light,” a Sevastopol resident told The Telegraph.

According to her, due to power outages, some stores are forced to close or accept only cash.

Another city resident said that due to transportation problems, many people have started walking more often and have switched to bicycles and scooters.

Crimeans are also increasingly reporting explosions on social media. “Every night in Kerch, there’s shelling and houses are damaged, but the news doesn’t even mention it. Fear has become part of everyday life,” wrote one Telegram user.

Tourist Season and Business Under Pressure

According to The Telegraph, a significant portion of reservations at Crimean hotels have been canceled during the current resort season.

Traffic jams stretching for several kilometers were reported on roads leading out of the peninsula, and local businesses have begun scaling back operations due to rising costs, fuel shortages, and instability in the power grid.

Anton Zemlyanoy, a senior analyst at the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation , stated that Ukrainian attacks are already affecting the Russian army’s ability to use Crimea as a military base.

“There is evidence that Ukrainian attacks are affecting the Russians’ ability to use Crimea as the main outpost of the occupation and their primary military base in the south,” he noted.

According to him, logistical problems are also affecting the situation on the front lines:

“Six months ago, the ratio of artillery fire was 2.4 to 1 in favor of the Russians; now it is 1.6 to 1. This has been influenced by Ukrainian strikes on warehouses and logistical difficulties with ammunition deliveries.”

New drones as a key factor

New medium-range strike drones, equipped with autonomous guidance systems and Starlink satellite communications, are playing a major role in the Ukrainian campaign.

Nazar Bigun, CEO of NORDA Dynamics , noted that autonomous guidance has become one of the key technological advantages.

“Terminal guidance helps hit the target despite signal delays. This is a very logical solution to the problem of electronic warfare,” he explained.

Head of the Autonomous Systems Integration Department Roman Delimarsky believes that Ukraine has gained a significant technological advantage.

“We are at a point where all the stars have aligned in Ukraine’s favor over Russia… Every day we see good news in the morning,” he said.

At the same time, experts warn that such an advantage may prove to be temporary: Russia continues to seek ways to counter the new Ukrainian drones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated that control of the airspace could become one of the key factors in the war’s future course.

“If you stop the enemy on the battlefield, if you stop the war on land, and if you deprive him of his dominance at sea… then the next battlefield will be the sky. We have moved into the air. And in the air, we are already competitive,” he said.

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