Budanov Urges Ukrainians in Crimea to Understand Strikes as Necessary Sacrifice for Return

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, called on Ukrainians living in temporarily occupied Crimea to understand the consequences of the strikes on the peninsula. In an interview with RBC, he acknowledged that the attacks cause personal inconveniences, including shortages of gasoline, massive power outages, and often water supply disruptions due to electricity cuts. However, he emphasized that these hardships serve a greater purpose—the return of Crimea to Ukraine.

Budanov noted that the primary goal now is to cut off southern logistics, as the Russian "Dnipro" group is supplied through the territory of occupied Crimea. He stressed that these inconveniences are a necessary step toward achieving this objective.

Prior to the interview, on July 6, the city of Sevastopol experienced a complete blackout following a drone attack on energy infrastructure. Earlier in July, the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces damaged 38 power nodes in occupied Crimea and the southern occupied territories. Crimean occupation authorities stated on July 6 that they cannot provide clear timelines for restoring full electricity supply in the southern coast of Crimea and are unable to publish power supply schedules.