Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea caused power outage in many areas, a woman and a child died

A massive Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea caused a power outage in the city of Sevastopol early Friday and a fire at a refinery in southern Russia, Russian authorities claimed.

The drone strike marks Kiev’s attempt to retaliate against Moscow’s offensive in northeastern Ukraine, increasing pressure on outnumbered and under-gunned Ukrainian forces who are awaiting a long-awaited delivery of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners. Ukraine has not commented on the attack or claimed responsibility for it.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defense forces shot down 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, 44 over the Krasnodar Territory and six over the Belgorod Region. The statement said Russian warplanes and patrol boats also destroyed six maritime drones in the Black Sea.

Sevastopol governor issues warning

Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozzhayev said the drone attack damaged the city’s power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut off in parts of the city. Sevastopol is the main base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

He said in a statement that community services were doing their best to restore power as soon as possible. Razvozzhayev also announced that schools in the city would be temporarily closed. Earlier Ukrainian strikes damaged aircraft and a fuel storage facility at Belbek air base near Sevastopol, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies.

A drone attack in the Krasnodar Region early Friday caused a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse that was later brought under control. There were no casualties, officials said.

Ukraine accused of damaging energy facilities

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries and other energy facilities inside Russia, causing significant damage.

Ukrainian drones also attacked Novorossiysk, a major Black Sea port. Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said several fires were caused by fragments of downed drones, but there were no casualties.

Woman and child killed in attack on vehicle

Belgorov Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone hit a vehicle, killing a woman and her 4-year-old child. He said another attack set fire to a fuel tank at a gas station in the region.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops were fighting to halt Russian advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region, which began last weekend. The city of Vovchansk, just 5 kilometers from the Russian border, has been a hotspot of fighting in recent days.