Ukraine Announces Increased Pressure on Crimea Using Drones

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that Kyiv is trying to isolate Crimea from Russia's supply lines. Crimean Tatar leader Refat Chubarov also called on Russians in the peninsula to leave the region.

Scraper SystemJune 18, 2026, 03:21 PM

Ukraine Announces Increased Pressure on Crimea Using Drones

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed that Kyiv is deliberately isolating Crimea from Russia’s supply lines and ultimately from Moscow’s control. In an interview on Wednesday, Fedorov said, "Crimea is being isolated by drones. It appears that the Crimean Peninsula will soon become an island." He added, "This could lead to very unexpected consequences for the Russians.

I cannot say more," he added. Fedorov stated that Kyiv procured 300% more medium-range attack drones in the first four months of 2026 compared to the entire year of 2025. These medium-range attack drones have a range of 20 to 200 kilometers.

These drones enable Ukrainian forces to operate near the front lines, in southern Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation, and along the logistics routes supporting Moscow’s troops. These routes run along the Sea of Azov coast, where all supply lines to the annexed Crimea are located.

According to monitoring Telegram channels, a railway bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea was hit in a drone attack on Thursday, causing a fire. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed that a day earlier, Ukrainian forces targeted a road bridge over the North Crimean Canal near the village of Stavky and another bridge near Voinka in the occupied Kherson region.

Fedorov said Kyiv launched a program described as a "logistical blockade" and provided direct additional funding to military units capable of rapidly purchasing and deploying medium-range attack drones. "A hell that will be very difficult for the Russians to handle is beginning," he said. "Logistics lines are being cut. Crimea is being isolated.

"Kyiv is increasingly targeting Russia’s capacity to sustain its forces in Crimea. This is making military operations and Moscow’s presence on the peninsula increasingly unsustainable. Cutting land supply lines Crimea’s geographic position, located between mainland Ukraine, Russia, and the wider Black Sea region, is both strategically important and unusually complex.

To the north, Crimea is connected to Russian-occupied southern Ukraine via a narrow land corridor along the Perekop Isthmus and a road and railway network passing through parts of the Kherson region occupied since 2022. Moscow uses these land supply lines to transport troops, ammunition, and fuel to the peninsula.

This is the area Kyiv systematically targets to disrupt this flow. Russia supplies its forces in Crimea with gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel through three main channels: road and rail tankers crossing the Kerch Bridge from Russia, maritime shipments, and land routes passing through occupied parts of southern Ukraine.

As Ukraine increasingly targets these connections with drones and precision strikes, Kyiv’s forces have triggered the most severe fuel crisis on the peninsula since Russia’s illegal annexation in 2014. The Kremlin has acknowledged the scale of the problem in a rare open admission.

Crimean Tatar Leader Calls on Russians to Leave Crimea Crimean Tatar Mejlis Chairman Refat Chubarov called on Russian citizens illegally present in temporarily occupied Crimea to leave the peninsula immediately.

In a video message posted on social media, Chubarov said the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been conducting precise and effective attacks on Russian military facilities in the peninsula for weeks, and the intensity of these attacks will only increase. He said, "I want to address another segment of Crimea’s current population, those who settled on the peninsula after February 27, 2014."

According to Ukrainian officials, between 500,000 and 800,000 Russians have illegally settled on the Ukrainian peninsula since 2014. Chubarov stated, "Your presence in occupied Crimea is illegal under both Ukrainian national law and international law, supported by fake Russian property documents."

"Now, as you can see, Crimea has finally become a frontline area, and its liberation from Russian occupation forces is inevitable." Addressing Russians in Crimea, Chubarov said they can still avoid "inevitable punishment" if they leave the peninsula in time. He added, "Every day the Kerch Bridge remains operational is an opportunity for you to leave Crimea safely and voluntarily.

Such an opportunity will soon no longer exist. Do not wait until the Kerch Bridge is destroyed and the land corridor is finally cut off."

Ukraine Announces Increased Pressure on Crimea Using Drones