Vladimir Putin suffered a major setback after Ukraine launched more devastating attacks in the Crimea region. Ukraine has intensified its attacks on the peninsula and its immediate surrounding regions in the last few days.
On Thursday, Ukrainian maritime drones destroyed seven Russian ships in a daring and spectacular attack.
Kyiv’s army bosses have now followed that up with another stunning strike that inflicted crippling damage on Putin’s war machine in the region.
Overnight, Ukraine fired US-supplied ATACM missiles at the Kerch ferry port close to the bridge. Ferries at the port are used to transport ammunition and military equipment between the Russian mainland and the peninsula.
The strike seriously damaged two ferries, with one running aground and blocking the entire crossing.
A swarm of drones then attacked an oil refinery located at the Kavkaz port, setting it on fire. The facility is located in the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar region, close to the Kerch bridge and just across the straits from Crimea.
Witnesses reported hearing explosions and posted videos of a raging fire that sent flames and thick black smoke high into the night’s sky.
Veniamin Kondratyev, Krasnodar’s governor, confirmed that the oil depot had been hit in a Telegram post and said two people were injured.
He wrote: “Three tanks with petroleum products were damaged and caught fire. The fire is currently being extinguished.
“The fire was assigned a high category of complexity. There are injured among the employees – they are being provided with medical assistance.”
Ukraine is now receiving long-range ATACMs that can hit targets up to 300km (186 miles) away.
Previously the US had only supplied the shorter range versions (150km/93 miles), due to concerns that Ukraine might use the lethal ballistic missiles to strike targets in Russia.
ATACMS can travel much faster than the British Storm Shadow missiles and are able to reach their targets within minutes of being launched.