Ukraine’s military struck a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea overnight on April 2, 2026, claiming to have destroyed at least four Orion reconnaissance drones, an An-72P transport aircraft, and a P-37 radar system at the Kirovske facility.

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the

Ukraine has ramped up its strikes on Russian military and energy targets far beyond the front lines in recent months.

The Soviet-designed military transport turboprop aircraft crashed into a cliff, sources at the scene told state news agencies.

Throughout the occupation, Russia has sought international legitimacy alongside its physical control of the Crimean peninsula. Narratives such as "Russia has a historical right to Crimea" or "the

The plane crashed in a mountainous forest area not far from Crimea's capital, Simferopol. Since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, incidents involving Russian military planes have occurred frequently.

Russia's Novo-Ufimsk oil refinery was forced to shut one of its largest crude ​distillation units after a Ukrainian drone ‌attack caused a fire on Thursday, three industry sources said on Friday. Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russia's energy ​facilities in the past month as it ​seeks to weaken Russia's economy.

The bombardment is the second ​time this week Russia has followed a overnight drone barrage ⁠with heavy daytime attacks, a new tactic as Moscow probes ways to ​penetrate Ukraine's air defenses.