The Daily Populous Friday July 3rd, 2026 morning edition
Authored by kyivindependent.com and submitted by AndroidOne1

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) struck 12 power substations and one gas distribution station in Russian-occupied territories during a 48-hour operation on July 1-2, USF Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi reported on July 2.

The operation shut down energy facilities in occupied Crimea as well as in the occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, Brovdi said.

The report comes amid Ukraine's intensifying summer campaign against Russian logistics and infrastructure in occupied Crimea — a campaign intended to isolate the peninsula from mainland Russia and cut off crucial military supply routes.

Ukrainian drone units shut down 12 electrical substations in the occupied territories, including 10 in Crimea, and one each in occupied Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, Brovdi reported. A gas distribution station in Luhansk was also hit.

Brovdi also said Ukrainian forces struck a Russian fuel depot in Melitopol, occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

"What a moonlit, starry, clear night… Moscow will fall," Brovdi wrote.

The military released footage of the operation on social media.

0:00 / 1× Footage from Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces depicts Ukrainian drone strikes on power substations in Russian-occupied Crimea during an operation on July 1-2, 2026. (Robert Brovdi / Telegram)

The latest operation comes as Crimea faces an escalating fuel and energy crisis triggered by Ukrainian strikes. In late June, Russian-installed authorities announced a state of emergency in Crimea after attacks on fuel facilities and infrastructure on the peninsula.

Widespread power outages have afflicted the region in recent weeks, leading to electricity restrictions while also impacting the water supply.

Before Russia's illegal annexation and occupation of Crimea in 2014, the peninsula relied on mainland Ukraine for over 80% of its electricity. Russia constructed and modernized multiple thermal power plants to enable Crimean energy independence — but these facilities remain vulnerable to Ukrainian drones.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on July 1 that the success of Kyiv's drone campaign in Crimea was making it difficult for Moscow to "resolve one crisis after another."

Brovdi's report also follows Russia's devastating overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv, a deadly attack that has killed over 20 people and injured nearly 90 others. Ukrainians were warned to anticipate a massive Russian strike after weeks of successful attacks on military and energy facilities in Russia and occupied Ukraine.

Scribble_Box on July 2nd, 2026 at 23:10 UTC »

What an absolute, colossal fuck up this has been for Putin. You love to see it. Slava Ukraini!

leobarao86 on July 2nd, 2026 at 22:57 UTC »

Don't underestimate the cruelty of the Russian state... they can live with their people's suffering for years and years and years. They don't care.

AndroidOne1 on July 2nd, 2026 at 22:43 UTC »

News snippet: Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) struck 12 power substations and one gas distribution station in Russian-occupied territories during a 48-hour operation on July 1-2, USF Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi reported on July 2.

The operation shut down energy facilities in occupied Crimea as well as in the occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, Brovdi said.

The report comes amid Ukraine's intensifying summer campaign against Russian logistics and infrastructure in occupied Crimea — a campaign intended to isolate the peninsula from mainland Russia and cut off crucial military supply routes.

Ukrainian drone units shut down 12 electrical substations in the occupied territories, including 10 in Crimea, and one each in occupied Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, Brovdi reported. A gas distribution station in Luhansk was also hit.