Russia seized Crimea in 2014 in an annexation rejected by most of the world, including many of Moscow’s allies.
Ukraine has never recognised the occupation and insists the peninsula remains part of its territory.
Since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has systematically targeted Russian energy infrastructure in an effort to strangle the Kremlin’s war revenues.
The campaign has intensified in recent weeks as Ukraine turns its focus to cutting Crimea off entirely.
Meanwhile, a former senior Ukrainian intelligence official has been sentenced to life in prison for spying for Russia.
Col Dmytro Kozyura, the former chief of staff of the Ukrainian Security Service’s anti-terrorism centre, was found guilty of high treason under martial law after an operation codenamed “rat” uncovered his activities.
Kozyura, recruited by Russia’s Federal Security Service in Vienna in 2018, had used a safehouse in Kyiv to communicate with Russian handlers, sharing classified information about Ukraine’s military and leadership in exchange for financial reward, prosecutors said.
Ukraine’s Security Service said it had used Kozyura to feed Russian forces disinformation before his arrest in February 2025.
He was also found guilty of the illegal handling of weapons and explosives.