Russian-controlled Crimea has reinstated public street phones so residents can reach police and ambulance services, offering a backup option when mobile communications are knocked out during the frequent Ukrainian attacks the territory faces.
Ukraine has carried out strikes on supply routes, military installations, and power facilities in Crimea — the peninsula Russia seized from Ukraine and formally annexed in 2014, a move that most of the world has refused to recognize.
Ukraine, which itself faces relentless Russian missile and drone attacks, says its operations in Crimea are aimed at cutting the peninsula off and weakening Russia’s ability to wage war.
Local authorities in Crimea announced Wednesday that 17 civilians were wounded in an overnight drone strike on the southern city of Yalta, where a multi-story apartment building was hit. Both Russia and Ukraine maintain that they do not intentionally target civilian populations.
The administration of Yevpatoriya, located along Crimea’s western coastline, confirmed it has placed emergency call phones throughout the city. A Reuters journalist on the ground reported seeing several of the devices in use across town.
One Yevpatoriya resident, Maria Ushakova, shared her thoughts on the phones. “If they work during power outage — and I wish no one would ever want them — as an additional possibility for protection in this world, it’s very good,” she said.
Crimea, long known as a popular vacation spot, has been struggling with electricity blackouts and fuel shortages. The fuel problems stem from Ukrainian drone attacks on supply chains and oil refineries inside Russia. The situation has forced the cancellation of children’s summer camps and cut back the operating hours of cafes and public transportation.
