On the night of July 8, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) launched a large-scale operation against strategic targets in Crimea and the southern part of the occupied territory. The focus of the attacks was on critical energy nodes, military training grounds, and ships of Russia's "shadow fleet." The operation resulted in a partial blackout in Crimea and caused damage to the infrastructure supporting the peninsula's livelihood.

Strike on the key energy bridge

The central event of the night was the strike on the electricity receiving facility of the "Kuban-Crimea" energy bridge. This was reported by the Commander of the USF, Robert "Madjar" Brovdi, on his Facebook page. According to him, the attack targeted the CP-2 "Crimea" transit point, which serves as the entry point from the Russian mainland to the peninsula.

The energy bridge is a complex engineering system 14.5 km long, laid in four submarine cable lines. The function of the damaged facility is to receive these submarine cables and convert them into overhead power lines (OPL). A strike on this node disrupts the energy supply chain, which is confirmed by reports of partial power outages in Crimea.

Scale of strikes on infrastructure

The operational activities of the USF between July 1 and July 8 covered a significant area. During this time, Ukrainian drones set fire to 50 energy nodes in Crimea and the southern part of the so-called "Liberated Territory" (TOT). On the night of July 8, strikes were carried out against 53 military targets in the enemy's operational depth.

Among the damaged objects:

  • Repair base of the 27th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of the 1st Tank Army of the Russian Federation in the village of Pisarevka (Luhansk region).
  • Military training ground "Gvardeysky" in the village of Alexandrovka (Kherson region).
  • Substations and radar stations (Radar) in Crimea.

Strikes against the "shadow fleet"

In addition to land and coastal objects, the Unmanned Systems Forces intensified actions against Russian maritime transport. On the night of July 8, more than 9 tankers belonging to the Russian Federation's "shadow fleet" were struck. Since the beginning of the day on July 7, the total number of damaged ships has reached 12 units. These attacks are aimed at undermining the logistical chains and export capabilities of the Russian economy.

Operation results

The USF command emphasizes that the strikes are systematic, aimed at destroying the enemy's energy and military infrastructure. The damage to the "Kuban-Crimea" energy bridge and subsequent blackouts in Crimea demonstrate the high effectiveness of the use of unmanned systems in conditions of deep operational depth.