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Russian authorities said a fire broke out at a fuel depot after a drone strike in the village of Volna, Russia.CreditCredit…Portal
KIEV, Ukraine — Blasts hit Russian targets in and near occupied Crimea overnight through Wednesday, as Ukraine appeared to intensify attacks on Russian military strongholds ahead of an expected counteroffensive.
In Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014, drones attacked a border post in Simferopol on Tuesday night, according to photos and video shared on social media and geolocated by Radio Liberty, a US government-funded broadcaster became. Ukraine did not claim direct responsibility for the incident, but Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Chernyak said in a statement Wednesday morning: “Of course the enemy must be cut off from Crimea.”
Just east of Crimea, inside Russian territory in the village of Volna, Russian authorities reported an explosion at a fuel depot after a drone strike on Wednesday before dawn. Videos circulating online showed black smoke billowing from a fire seen on the nearby bridge connecting Crimea to Russia.
Russian state media reported that the fire was caused by a drone falling on the oil facility in Russia’s Krasnodar Territory.
Ukrainian forces have been attacking for months in Crimea, a key hub for Russia’s military occupation of southern Ukraine, but attacks have escalated in recent days as Kiev enters what its officials describe as the final stages of planning a counteroffensive to retake confiscated territories .
US officials say Ukraine’s military has been bolstered with training and equipment from Western allies. Gen. Mark Milley, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States and NATO allies helped train and supply about nine Ukrainian brigades, including some light infantry units, used for both offensive and defensive operations to be ready.
“The Ukrainians now have the ability to attack, they can conduct offensive operations, and they also have the capability to defend, which has been greatly improved compared to conventional operations just a year ago,” General Milley said in the published comments of Foreign Affairs magazine on Tuesday.
While Ukraine has not disclosed detailed plans for a counteroffensive, military officials have described the recent blasts in Crimea and other Russian-held territories as part of an effort to disrupt Russia’s logistical capabilities. Over the weekend, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s Southern Military Command Natalia Humeniuk said an attack on an oil depot in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was part of preparations for “the broad, full-scale offensive that everyone is expecting.” .”
Separately, Russia’s top security agency announced on Wednesday that it had arrested seven people who had planned to carry out “high-profile acts of sabotage and terror” in Crimea in cooperation with Ukraine’s military intelligence service. Among the targets were several officials deployed by the Kremlin, including Crimea’s governor Sergei Aksyonov, according to the agency, the Federal Security Service or the FSB, the successor to the KGB. He did not publicly release detailed evidence to support his claims.
In the occupied territories, the Ukrainian military appears to be stepping up its attacks. Ukraine’s Air Force said Wednesday morning that it had launched attacks on concentrations of Russian troops, ammunition depots, a Russian command post and other targets over the past 24 hours. The claims could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Russia continued to launch airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Explosions again echoed over the city overnight as air defense systems attacked Russian attack drones. The Ukrainian Air Force said at least 21 drones out of 26 were shot down.
“The enemy’s tactics remain traditional and unchanged,” said Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv regional administration.
Ivan Nechepurenko contributed to the coverage.
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