Russian-backed authorities in the occupied Crimean city of Sevastopol said Friday that a nighttime attack by Ukrainian forces had hit an electrical substation, causing rolling blackouts across the city where part of the Russian naval fleet is based.
Schools were closed across Sevastopol, a city of about 500,000 people on the Black Sea, Mikhail Razbodyaev, the city's Russian-backed governor, said on Telegram. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that at least 51 drones were intercepted in Crimea overnight. Ukraine's military did not immediately comment on the attack.
Reports on social media indicate that fires and explosions occurred at fuel depots and other locations in the city of Novorossiysk. According to the internet monitoring group His NetBlocks, the internet connectivity rate in Sevastopol has dropped to about 16%.
The Ukrainian military has made the most important advances in operations in the Black Sea. After Russia withdrew from a deal that allowed Ukraine to resume some maritime transport, Ukraine's military launched an operation to oust the Russian navy. They destroyed many of the Russian warships and attacked their headquarters.
The operation has allowed Ukraine to establish new transport corridors, with seaborne grain and oilseed exports approaching pre-war levels, according to data shared with The New York Times.
This is a developing story.