The authorities of occupied Crimea have officially announced the introduction of a state of emergency. The corresponding decision was made on June 26 and applies to both the territory of the peninsula and the city of Sevastopol.
The introduction of the special regime was announced by the head of the occupation administration, Sergey Aksyonov. According to him, the decree was signed jointly with the head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev. In their statement, the officials called the situation regional, but did not specify the exact details that provoked such drastic measures.
Official Version: "Economy and Life Support"
Aksyonov tried to calm the population, stating that the introduction of the emergency legal regime is aimed exclusively at "streamlining economic issues." According to the Kremlin's representative in Crimea, this will allow for "the most prompt resolution of tasks related to organizing the stable functioning of all spheres on which the population's life support depends".
However, experts and observers link this decision to recent events on the peninsula, which have dealt a serious blow to the region's infrastructure.
Context: Drone Attacks and Fuel Crisis
The decision to introduce a state of emergency was made against the backdrop of massive strikes on Crimea. On the night of June 25, the peninsula was subjected to an attack by unmanned aerial vehicles. Strong explosions were heard in the Simferopol, Pervomaisk, and Krasnoperekopsk districts. Strikes were also recorded in Sevastopol, Yevpatoria, and Yalta.
The consequences of the attack were felt by residents: large-scale blackouts (power outages) began in many areas. In addition, strikes on oil facilities exacerbated the already difficult situation with fuel shortages, triggering a new wave of the fuel crisis.
SBU Special Operation and Kyiv's Strategy
Shortly before the strikes on civilian infrastructure, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out a large-scale special operation. During it, the critical infrastructure of the military airfields "Saky" and "Gvardiyskoye" was attacked.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on these events, stating that the operation in Crimea was carefully calculated. The head of state emphasized that the effectiveness of such actions depends on the support of Western partners. According to Zelenskyy, if allies make the necessary decisions on arms supplies, Kyiv will be able to push Russia towards peace.