Ukraine on Sunday intensified its drone strikes against Crimea in what Kyiv said was one of the largest attacks on the peninsula in months.
The targets were military and logistical facilities that, according to Kyiv, support Russia's war effort.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukraine had attacked facilities on both sides of the Crimean Bridge. Kyiv says the bridge is a legitimate target in Russia's war of invasion, as Russia uses it for military transport.
At least five dead
"Last night, our long-range strikes were directed against the occupiers' military logistics, the oil industry and air defense. All this is a legitimate response to Russia's brutal attacks on our people," Zelenskyy wrote, adding that some targets were almost 300 kilometers from the front.
Ukraine claims to have knocked out air defense systems, radar stations and oil infrastructure, among other things. According to the Russian independent news outlet Astra, Ukrainian drones hit a refinery in the port city of Kerch, where a fire reportedly broke out. The outlet also said drones hit a residential building.
According to local Moscow-backed authorities, at least five people were killed in last night's attacks.
Crimea's Moscow-appointed leader, Sergei Aksyonov, stated that four people were killed and 28 injured in an attack on the Kerch Peninsula, which is the easternmost part of Crimea.
Gasoline sales suspended
The Ukrainian attacks forced authorities to temporarily halt traffic across the Crimean Bridge. Traffic resumed about nine hours later, but long queues remained. Shipping through the Kerch Strait was also temporarily halted.
Another consequence was that gasoline sales to private individuals and private companies at Crimean gas stations had to be suspended, according to Aksyonov.
For several weeks, Ukraine has been trying to disrupt communications with Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Local media on the peninsula have expressed concern that the continued attacks could have serious consequences for Crimea's tourist season this summer and lead to millions of visitors missing out.
