Crimea Is Becoming A "cauldron" For Russian Troops
- 23.06.2026, 13:49
Moscow is losing control of the peninsula.
Crimea is gradually turning into a trap for Russian troops. In the event of complete blockade of supply routes, a massive force of occupiers will find itself completely cut off—without fuel, ammunition, or electricity.
This was stated in a comment for the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel, the chairman of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Eskender Bariev.
The Russian Army May Find Itself in a Large-Scale Trap
According to an expert, the peninsula’s geographical location, combined with the successful operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is turning it into a deadly trap for the invaders.
“Crimea has already become a natural encirclement. If logistics are completely cut off, these troops—whose numbers have been bolstered on Crimean territory—will find themselves trapped. And without fuel or electricity, they will be unable to carry out their military missions,” Bariyev emphasized.
He added that under such conditions, maintaining and retaining control over the peninsula would be an extremely difficult task for the Russian Federation.
Critical Situation with Electricity and Gas
In addition to the obvious fuel shortage, the energy supply situation in occupied Crimea has significantly worsened. The invaders’ energy infrastructure has come under sustained attack.
Baryev explained that the electricity problems are directly linked to the damage to gas facilities:
The strikes targeted not only electrical substations but also gas distribution facilities.
The peninsula’s main power plants—Balaklava (in Sevastopol) and Tavricheskaya, which the occupiers built after 2014 to ensure Crimea’s energy self-sufficiency—run exclusively on gas.
Disruptions in “blue fuel” supplies automatically paralyze electricity generation at these thermal power plants.
Panic among the civilian population and the collapse of the “resort season”
The energy and logistics collapse has already affected daily life on the peninsula and its economy. Crimean residents are preparing for the worst-case scenario, while Russians are canceling their trips en masse.
Food is still available in stores, but people have begun actively stocking up on non-perishable goods.
More than 58% of Russians have already canceled their previously booked stays at Crimean health resorts and vacation homes.
Russians are returning their tickets to the peninsula en masse, as they are seeing firsthand that getting there has become nearly impossible due to the collapse of logistics.
According to Bariev’s assessment, such a mass boycott of vacations will deal a crushing blow to the Crimean economy, which is critically dependent on subsidies and the summer season.
Attacks on the occupiers in Crimea
Over the past week, the Ukrainian military has carried out a series of strikes on targets in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Specifically, railway bridges, the Glebovskoye underground gas storage facility, an oil depot near Kerch, radar stations, and gas compressor stations used to support Russian troops were targeted.
Today, June 23, following a strike on the thermal power plant in Kerch, a fire broke out in oil product storage tanks, and power outages occurred in several cities and regions across the peninsula.
Amid the attacks, the occupying authorities have tightened restrictions, specifically reducing the operation of public transportation, retail businesses, and restaurants, as well as temporarily limiting fuel sales and implementing scheduled power outages.
According to the “Atesh” partisan movement, there has been a simultaneous increase in the evacuation of families of representatives of the occupying administration and Russian security forces from Crimea.