Politics of Crimea

A Ukrainian serviceman of the 126th brigade air-defense unit fires by a machine gun during the training in Kherson region, Ukraine, Oct. 4, 2024.

Kiev on Monday said that its forces had struck a large oil terminal overnight on the occupied Crimean peninsula as Moscow claimed the capture of another village in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine said on Monday its forces had struck an oil terminal overnight on the Crimean peninsula, seized by Moscow in 2014, in Kiev's latest attack on Russian-controlled energy facilities.

Kiev has ramped up strikes targeting Russia's energy sector in recent months aiming to dent revenues used by Moscow to fund its invasion, now grinding through its third year.

A fire erupted at the Feodosia oil depot in occupied Crimea following a drone strike, according to the Astra Telegram channel. In response to the incident, local authorities declared a municipal-level state of emergency due to the man-made disaster.

Russia completely disagrees with comments from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Crimea should return to Ukrainian control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Erdogan said this week that Turkish support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence was unwavering, and the return of Crimea was a requirement of international law.

In a video message to the Fourth Summit of the Crimean Platform Leaders, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that Russia return control of Crimea to Ukraine, Anadolu Agency reports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed that Türkiye never recognized the annexation of Crimea, a situation he said has worsened the suffering of the region’s inhabitants.

The Turkish president, in a recorded message to the Crimea Platform Leaders’ Summit, stressed that the return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has renewed his call for a fair and lasting peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the ongoing war, reaffirming Türkiye's strong support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Ten Ukrainian civilians held prisoner for years by Russia arrived in Kyiv overnight Saturday after the mediation of the Vatican, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

They were freed Friday. Some had been captured years before Russia's full-scale invasion . The pope has said the Holy See has been involved in past prisoner swaps during the Ukraine war.

Overnight, Ukrainian sources reported a series of new attacks in Russian-occupied Crimea, where there were at least eight explosions and a fire across different settlements. According to Russian authorities, these incidents resulted in six fatalities and over 120 injuries from Ukrainian missile and drone strikes the previous day.

In 2023, Russia had relocated most of its Black Sea Fleet vessels from Crimea to Novorossiysk following a series of Ukrainian strikes, including a major missile attack on the fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol