Photo: Drones struck two power substations in occupied Crimea
On the night of July 5, the temporarily occupied Crimea came under attack by unmanned aerial vehicles, which struck the critically important “Bakhchisaray” and “Zimine” power substations.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing explosions in three administrative districts at once—the Saki, Bakhchysarai, and Radiansky districts.
It is known that the “Bakhchysarai” substation, with a voltage of 220 kV, is a key hub in the power grid of western Crimea, supplying electricity to the city of the same name and surrounding settlements, home to more than 130,000 people.
Another targeted facility was the “Zimine” substation in the Rozdolne District, on which the power supply for approximately 34,000 residents depends.
Information about damage to both facilities is confirmed by data from NASA’s FIRMS satellite monitoring service, which detected characteristic thermal anomalies at the locations of the power facilities.
There is currently no official data on the extent of power outages in the affected areas; however, similar attacks in the past have led to prolonged power outages across large swaths of territory.
Comparative satellite images of the peninsula from July 2025 and 2026 have also appeared online, showing a sharp decline in nighttime urban lighting.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirm that systematic strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on the peninsula’s energy infrastructure have led to a critical reduction in street lighting.
The electricity supply situation in Crimea continues to deteriorate due to the deliberate destruction of key distribution facilities.
The incident was reported by the Exilenova+ channel.
Russia attacked Kharkiv with drones; there are casualties
On the night of July 3, Russian troops attacked a residential area in the city of Lozova with a strike drone. Six people, including three children, were injured as a result of the attack, and rescuers freed five residents from a cellar.
In addition, Russian troops carried out 880 strikes on 62 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region over the past 24 hours. As a result of the massive attacks on Zaporizhzhia and the Zaporizhzhia district, 11 people were wounded, including four children.
Over the past day, 273 combat engagements were recorded on the front lines. Ukrainian forces continue to repel the advance of Russian occupation forces, inflicting significant losses on the enemy in terms of personnel, equipment, and military infrastructure.
On the night of July 3, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with two X-59/69 guided air-to-ground missiles and 105 strike and decoy drones. Air defense forces destroyed or intercepted 83 aerial targets.
On the night of July 1, Russian forces carried out a massive attack with strike drones on the Dnipropetrovsk region.
