On the night of June 21, powerful explosions rocked occupied Crimea. Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles successfully struck an oil terminal in the port of Kerch. Official confirmation of the operation came from the press service of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the information reported by RBC-Ukraine.
Strategic Significance of the Target
The choice of target was not accidental: the Kerch oil terminal is one of the key nodes in the logistics system for supplying fuel products to the peninsula. The facility performs critically important functions, ensuring the receipt, storage, and transshipment of oil between rail transport, tank farms, and sea tankers.
Furthermore, the terminal plays a vital role in supporting the ferry crossing connecting mainland Russia and Crimea, as well as handling ship refueling. Taking this facility out of action deals a serious blow to the region's energy and transport infrastructure.
Scale of Consequences
The result of the successful strike was numerous fires within the port area. According to sources, large-scale fires broke out at the facility, indicating hits on fuel tanks or unloading units.
Part of a Large-Scale Operation
The attack on Kerch was part of a broader strike launched by Ukrainian defense forces on the night of June 21. The operation covered targets within a radius of about 300 km from the front line, affecting both facilities in Crimea itself and infrastructure near the Crimean Bridge.
During the night operations, the following were hit:
- Enemy military logistics facilities;
- Oil industry nodes;
- Elements of the air defense system.
Particular attention was paid to air defense assets. According to intelligence, Ukrainian forces successfully destroyed four radar stations belonging to S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, as well as two "Pantsir" systems. Strikes were delivered against targets on both sides of the Crimean Bridge, including sea logistics for transporting oil to the Krasnodar Krai and the oil depot in Kerch.