On the evening of 25 February, residents of Russian-occupied Crimea reported explosions across multiple locations, accompanied by air defense activity, according to UNIAN.

Sevastopol’s Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed that Russian air defenses intercepted four drones over the Black Sea at a significant distance from the shore. However, reports on social media indicated explosions in Sevastopol, Saky, Kerch, and near Belbek airfield. The Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU described it as the largest drone attack on Crimea in recent months.

The strike came a day before Ukraine’s Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol, which commemorates the 2014 protest in Simferopol against Russia’s annexation. Two days later, on 27 February 2014, Russian special forces seized key government buildings in the city, cementing Moscow’s control over the peninsula.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Crimean Bridge has been repeatedly targeted. A major explosion on 8 October 2022 severely damaged the structure, briefly halting traffic.

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