Ukraine Says 'Lights Out' to Russian-Occupied Crimea
Putin continues striking civilians as he loses his hold on the peninsula.
An estimated 450 to 600 Ukrainian kamikaze deep-strike drones targeted Russian military bases, seaports, and power grids throughout occupied Crimea over the July Fourth holiday weekend.
The result?
After hitting electrical substations, the entire peninsula reportedly went dark. Upwards of 2.5 million Russians living in Crimea, which is roughly the size of Vermont, were left without power.
Ukraine is making good on its pledge to systematically make the strategic Black Sea peninsula untenable for Russian military forces stationed there.
414 Magyar’s Birds, the X account of the 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation System Brigade, said they destroyed “16 power nodes in 48 hours.”
As they put it, “Crimea’s master switch is now in the OFF position.” Satellite images on July 5 confirmed much of Crimea went dark. The rest did July 6.
The Unmanned Systems Forces also reported that between July 1 and 5, “the USF Birds switched off 37 power infrastructure nodes across the temporarily occupied south.”
Russian forces in Crimea are already enduring massive fuel shortages that have led to gas rationing. Turning the lights off, even if just temporarily, is making the peninsula increasingly untenable and costly for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his cronies at the Kremlin to hold.
In the balance: Ukraine’s growing military successes in Crimea and deep inside Russia are causing Mr. Putin to become increasingly desperate.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to aggressively target Russia’s oil and energy infrastructure, logistics and supply, rail, and command and control centers.
Up until Monday, Ukraine had damaged every major Russian refinery save one. That changed overnight. FP-1 drones, flying more than 1,500 miles, struck the Omsk plant in Siberia.
“Now all 11 of Russia’s biggest gasoline producers are within the range,” as Euromaidan Press notes.
Moscow’s ongoing response?
It is hitting Kyiv. Mr. Putin claims these are military targets; however in reality Moscow is intentionally aiming at apartment high-rises, Ukrainian Red Cross facilities, and hospitals.
Mr. Putin is once again attempting to win by terror what his armies cannot achieve for him on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian civilians suffer. Cadaver dogs search for victims buried in rubble above ground while Ukrainian men, women, and children carrying cat carriers take to makeshift bomb shelters in Kyiv’s Metro system.
Innocent Ukrainian lives are in the balance; but so too is the fate of Mr. Putin’s war in Ukraine. He has killed more than 16,000 civilians, and he is not done yet. Nearly 63,000 Ukrainian civilians have been wounded since the start of the war.
Decision point: The White House must publicly up the pressure on Russia. While President Trump’s phone call with Mr. Putin over the July Fourth weekend was welcome, it is not enough. The United States cannot afford to be seen as an impartial referee when Russia week after week is intentionally trying to kill civilians.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are increasingly rendering Crimea untenable. Kyiv is also creating havoc every day with Russia’s oil and gas industry, the country’s budgetary lifeline.
Vice President JD Vance must recognize Ukraine does have cards, and the hand Mr. Putin is down to is one of perpetrating war crimes in Kyiv.
Yet his words over the weekend fell painfully short. Mr. Vance urging the AFU to adopt a defensive posture was beyond the pale. Wittingly or not, the vice president is essentially trying to give Mr. Putin and his flailing army a breather.
The United States has it in its power to tell Mr. Putin it is “lights out” when it comes to his “special military operation” in Ukraine. The White House can do this by warning Moscow it will arm the AFU to the teeth if Mr. Putin does not end his war.
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