Ukrainian drones turn Crimea from Putin triumph into liability for Russia
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Smoke rising over the Crimean Bridge on June 22, 2026, in a satellite image. (Photo: Vantor/Handout via REUTERS)
Ukrainian drones have turned occupied Crimea into a combat zone, making it harder by the day to keep up any appearance of normal life there, The Economist wrote in a June 23 report on how the occupied peninsula is becoming a catastrophe for Russia.
Military units, railway stations, power plants and other
infrastructure have come under attack.
Occupied Yalta remains an exception. The city is protected
by mountains and, according to the report, has no military facilities. The rest
of Crimea has become a battlefield.
“Judging by everything, Crimea will soon turn into an
island,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
The attacks on Crimea carry special weight, The Economist wrote. The occupied peninsula serves as a foothold and supply base for Moscow's army, and it holds deep symbolic significance. Its seizure in 2014 was a triumphant moment for Russian President Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions.
Now, people in Crimea have been left not only without
gasoline and electricity, but also without faith that the occupying state can
solve their problems. Residents feel vulnerable.
“People no longer see any prospects for the future,” one
local resident said. He also said those with the financial means are trying to
buy property in Russia and move their families there.
Still, although Ukrainian attacks have undermined Crimeans’
confidence in the occupation army’s ability to protect them, there is no sign
they have shaken their loyalty to Russia, The Economist wrote.
The report also noted that occupied Crimea is not the only
place where dissatisfaction with the war is growing. Members of Russia’s ruling
elite increasingly see the war as a dead end.
The Economist concluded that fatigue now dominates both
annexed Crimea and Russia as a whole. Even supporters of the aggressor state no
longer see the point of the war.
“We just want the sun to rise in the morning, for tourists to come in the summer,” a tour guide from Feodosiya, identified as Tetiana, told The Economist.
“We are so tired of everything else.”
In July 2024, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief
Oleksandr Syrskyi said Kyiv has a plan to liberate Crimea and is doing
everything possible to reach Ukraine’s internationally recognized 1991 borders.
In an interview published on June 17, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukrainian drones were effectively isolating occupied Crimea.
“In effect, Crimea is being isolated with drones. And judging by everything, Crimea will soon turn into an island,” Fedorov said, adding that the situation could have “unexpected consequences” for Russia.
On June 21, Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s
Unmanned Systems Forces, said occupied Crimea “will bring Moscow down” and
apologized to Ukrainians on the peninsula “for the constant anxiety, closed
bridges and roads, darkness, noise and stress.”
He also urged people to stay away from military facilities
and share information with Ukrainian fighters.
On June 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s
operation, including efforts involving occupied Crimea, had been clearly
calculated. Kyiv will quickly create conditions in which Moscow will be forced
to choose peace, he said.
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