20 August 2026
(PHOTO: nv.ua)
<span><span><span><span><span><span>A total blackout occurred in Russian-occupied Crimea. The power went out following a fire at a power substation in the Russian town of Taman, which supplies electricity to the power bridge connecting the peninsula. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was reported by Krym.Realii. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>An activist from Simferopol, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the power bridge is the most important element in supplying Crimea with electricity from Russia. Its peak capacity is slightly over 800 megawatts—more than half of the peninsula’s maximum demand. Currently, the power bridge is the main source of electricity, as the Ukrainian Armed Forces have damaged—to varying degrees—all major power generation facilities: the Balaklava Thermal Power Plant, the Tavriya Thermal Power Plant, and the Saki Combined Heat and Power Plant.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>Completely taking the power bridge out of commission would not destroy Crimea’s power grid, but it would lead to very strict electricity rationing schedules for the population. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>A former Ukrainian officer and military expert from Crimea explained that strikes against energy facilities on the peninsula are a relatively easy task. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span><span><span><span><span><span>“The layout of Crimea’s power grid is thoroughly known, since it is our own Ukrainian peninsula. Ukrainian power engineers know everything about every facility in great detail. After the annexation, Russia built thermal power plants and an energy bridge in Crimea and modernized some power substations, but these are all public measures—information about their specifications is publicly available,” he noted. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
Real estateprices in occupied Crimea have fallen from 180,000 to 130,000 rubles per square meter, and apartments have been sitting on the market for months without buyers due to the lack of tourists, electricity, water, and constant shelling. Russian propaganda calls this “market stabilization,” while real estate agents and residents themselves privately acknowledge that the situation is catastrophic.
Юлія Калабайда