Ukraine drones knock out power in Sevastopol
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- Ukrainian drones struck Sevastopol's main power substation overnight Tuesday, knocking out power across the city, Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said, warning some areas would be dark until Wednesday evening.
- Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said drones targeted 48 operational and planned military sites, with the main Sevastopol substation hit; explosions were also reported in Bakhchisarai, Kerch, and near Mount Ai-Petri, where a Russian Aerospace Forces radio engineering battalion is based.
- Razvozhayev told residents to save mobile phone battery by reducing screen brightness and switching off background apps, and to check on elderly neighbors as temperatures reached 30°C, adding that a 'special regime' was in place at energy facilities.
- Russian-installed leader Sergei Aksyonov suspended all petrol sales on Sunday, with fuel now mostly reserved for government services; panic-buying has begun, with sugar reported in especially short supply.
- Russia's defence ministry claimed it destroyed over 300 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Kyiv's air force said it intercepted 95 of 101 Russian drones launched at Ukraine the same night.
- Zelensky sent an open letter to Putin on June 4 calling for direct face-to-face negotiations and a ceasefire; Putin called the note 'rude' and refused, insisting peace talks must come before any ceasefire.
Why it matters: The Sevastopol strike is part of a deliberate Ukrainian strategy to degrade energy and fuel infrastructure in occupied Crimea, squeezing both the civilian population and Russia's war logistics on the peninsula. Razvozhayev's plea for residents to dim screens and check on elderly neighbors during a 30°C heatwave underscores how quickly the power loss becomes a humanitarian issue. With Putin rejecting Zelensky's June 4 call for direct talks, the strikes appear to be the only leverage Kyiv has to force negotiations.
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