Ukraine blasts Putin-occupied Crimea with deadly drone onslaught as troops move to choke off Black Sea peninsula

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UKRAINE has blasted Russian-occupied Crimea with a deadly drone storm overnight as Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops move to choke off the Black Sea peninsula.

The Ukrainian President said he had blasted key targets on both sides of Russia’s £3billion Crimean Bridge in the early hours of Sunday morning.

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Kerch attack

An oil depot is ablaze in Kerch, Russian-occupied Crimea, following an overnight drone attack by Ukraine Credit: East2West

Kerch attack

The Ukrainian President said he had blasted key targets on both sides of Russia’s £3billion Crimean Bridge in the early hours of Sunday morning Credit: East2West

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Zelensky shared footage of the deadly drone attacks Credit: x.com

Road of Death strike

Separate footage showed the moment a trucker narrowly avoided being hit by a drone on the ‘Road of Death’ linking Russia to annexed Crimea Credit: East2West

A massive fire blazed at the Putin-occupied peninsula’s Kerch port, sending a 40-mile plume of black smoke into the air.

There, an oil and gas depot was attacked as Ukraine tries to cut Crimea off from Russian supplies.

Across the 21-mile Kerch Strait in Russia, the Kavkaz port was also ablaze.

One of the largest passenger ports in Russia, it is a hub for car and railway ferries and shipment of supplies to Crimea.

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Petrol sales were paused in Crimea on Sunday after the targeted attacks hit fuel supplies.

Five people were killed and 28 wounded in the strikes, according to the region’s Russian-installed governor.

The strikes fuel rising speculation that Ukraine is preparing to launch its biggest attack yet on the Crimean Bridge itself, a key artery connecting Putin’s troops to the annexed territory.

Road and rail traffic slammed to a halt on the bridge as authorities shut it down for more than nine hours.

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Kerch attack

A huge fire blazes at the port of Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea Credit: East2West

Kerch attack

The huge attacks are part of an ongoing strategy to choke Crimea Credit: East2West

Kerch attack

An oil depot is ablaze in Kerch, Crimea, which Putin invaded in 2014 Credit: East2West

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Ukraine blasts Putin-occupied Crimea with deadly drone onslaught as troops move to choke off Black Sea peninsula Credit: x.com

The peninsula was seized by Putin in 2014, eight years before Mad Vlad launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Now Ukraine could be trying to grab its Black Sea outpost back from the deranged dictator.

Drones blitzed maritime logistics used to transport oil in the Krasnodar region and military logistics facilities this morning.

Zelensky said the attacks also took out critical Russian comms – four radar stations and two Pantsir systems.

Crimea’s ferry Panagia was attacked while bringing fuel to the the Russian-occupied region, which is suffering acute shortages after Ukrainian strikes.

All ferries across the Kerch Strait have been suspended after the attacks.

The Russian Defence Ministry said 239 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight.

Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X: “Last night, our long-range sanctions targeted the occupiers’ military logistics, oil industry, and air defense.

“All of this is a just response to Russia’s brutal attacks against our people.”

He thanked his forces “for their successful work at a distance of about 300 kilometers from the frontline“, adding: “I am grateful to all our warriors for their precision and professionalism.”

Zelensky declared: “Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace. Glory to Ukraine!”

Two people died and 14 were injured in Russian strikes on Poltava region in Ukraine overnight.

Dramatic footage also emerged of a fuel truck driver swerving to narrowly avoid a Ukrainian Hornet drone strike on the so-called Road of Death, which links Russia to occupied Crimea.

Video shows as the drone narrowly clears the truck’s roof.

Hundreds of trucks have been struck on this road through Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.

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The Crimean Bridge has been targeted three times by Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war, with major attacks in October 2022, July 2023 and June 2025.

The structure is weakened from repeated strikes but it remains open for light traffic.

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