Russia-annexed Crimea declares ‘emergency’ amid Ukraine strikes

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - June 26, 2026 11:03 pm IST - Moscow A satellite image shows burning oil storage tanks and smoke rising from the Crimea Bridge, amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, Crimea, June 22, 2026. | Photo Credit: Vantor via REUTERS Authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea on Friday (June 26, 2026) declared an "emergency situation" in a bid to ease the fallout from increasing Ukrainian aerial attacks on the peninsula. The announcement comes amid fuel shortages and power cuts triggered by the Ukrainian attacks on logistics chains and oil facilities across Crimea, the rest of Russian-occupied Ukraine and southern Russia. "A decision has been made... to sign decrees declaring a regional-level emergency situation in the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," the Moscow-installed governor Sergey Aksyonov said in a post on Telegram. The emergency situation would allow for a "rapid resolution of tasks related to ensuring the stable operation of all sectors", Mr. Aksyonov said in the post. Kyiv has stepped up its air attacks that it calls fair retribution for Russia's near-daily barrages on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022. Russian air defences shot down 660 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over the capital Moscow and the annexed Crimea, its defence ministry said Friday, one of the highest figures since the start of the conflict. Ukraine mostly targets Russian oil processing and export facilities in a bid to deprive the Kremlin of a source of revenue crucial for financing Moscow's war effort. Last week, Kyiv's attack caused a major fire at a refinery in the southeast of Moscow, shrouding the suburbs in plumes of thick black smoke. Mr. Aksyonov had a day earlier acknowledged that Crimea "is going through a challenging time" and that "the fuel situation is the most difficult." "I cannot say exactly how long it will take, nor can I publicly disclose the specific action plan. However, we are taking action," he said in the statement. He also conceded that the Russian army were unable to fully protect the peninsula. "Unfortunately ... there are no air defense systems in the world that are absolutely perfect in terms of security and effectiveness." Speaking to AFP by phone, a Moscow resident holidaying in Feodosia on Crimea's southeastern coast said earlier this week that "everyone is afraid: locals and visitors alike." "We were afraid we'd never wake up again, we prayed all night," she recounted following a recent overnight attack. Despite the ongoing war that has killed tens of thousands and ravaged swaths of Ukraine, Crimea has been a popular holiday destination for Russians. On Monday (June 22, 2026), Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the strikes by its forces were "closing the beach season in Crimea." Listing successful strikes, including on oil depots, gas compressor stations and air defence systems, it said on social media that "the forecast for tourists is unfavorable." Russia seized and annexed Crimea in 2014, though the vast majority of countries — including many of Moscow's allies — do not recognise the move. The Black Sea territory holds special importance to President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the annexation as a historic victory and has poured resources into the peninsula since 2014. Ukraine says Crimea is an inalienable part of its territory and will never formally cede it. Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Russia-annexed Crimea declares ‘emergency’ amid Ukraine strikes

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Russia-annexed Crimea declares ‘emergency’ amid Ukraine strikes

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