In the early hours of today, June 25, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine entered a new phase of intensive air strikes deep in the rear of both countries, news.ru and 24tv.ua reported.
Powerful explosions echoed from the approaches to Moscow to the occupied Crimean peninsula and southern Ukraine.
The attacks follow just hours after the official statement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who announced a shift to a strategy of preemptive strikes against Russian military and energy logistics.
Ukrainian Strikes: Fire in Krasnodar and Blackout in Crimea
Shortly after midnight, Ukrainian drones successfully sabotaged the energy system of occupied Crimea. Critical infrastructure facilities were hit, causing large-scale power outages in the largest city on the peninsula. The attack deepens the severe fuel crisis in the region, where the occupation authorities have already imposed a complete ban on the free sale of gasoline to civilians.
Around 02:00 local time, a wave of drones also attacked Russia's Krasnodar Territory. Local authorities confirmed a large fire at the "Poltavskaya" oil depot in the Kryslnoarmeysky district. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the flames were the result of "falling debris from a downed drone", but footage on social media shows a series of direct hits.
At 04:30, air defense systems were also activated near the Russian capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that an attacking drone had been intercepted on the outskirts of the city, and according to initial reports, no injuries were reported [news.ru]. A separate incident was also recorded over the Ryazan region.
The Russian response: Massive wave of „Shahed“s over Zaporozhye and Sumy
The Russian army responded with heavy midnight shelling, using waves of „Shahed“ strike drones and planning bombs, which triggered an air alert in almost all of eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Zaporizhia region was the hardest hit, where a Russian drone struck a large utility company in the early hours of the morning. The attack caused serious material damage to the building stock and infrastructure. Three employees of the company were confirmed injured, and rescue teams continue to search the debris for buried people.
Explosions from flying drones were also reported in the Pavlohrad, Kharkiv and Sumy regions. On the front line in Donetsk region, Russian tactical aviation used heavy FAB-250 and FAB-1500 aerial bombs on forward positions of the Ukrainian army.