Ukraine's siege of Crimea has been a long time coming. Crimea is under an effective siege as Ukraine has been systematically isolating the occupied peninsula with a multipronged campaign of drone strikes. Hell is beginning, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a June 17 interview. Logistics are being cut off. Crimea is being isolated. Ukraine plans to fully isolate the. The Ukrainian military confirmed overnight strikes on a Chornomornaftogaz facility and a drone relay station in Crimea, alongside logistical targets in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A Ukrainian drone campaign against Crimea’s power grid has left hundreds of thousands of people in the Russia-held territory without electricity for days at a time. F irst, the guests stopped coming. As Ukrainian drones and missiles pounded Crimea throughout the spring and into the summer, Russian tourists began cancelling their bookings at the small. After Ukrainian independence in 1991, most of the peninsula was reorganised as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The Soviet fleet in Crimea was in contention, but a 1997 treaty allowed Russia to continue basing its fleet in Sevastopol. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Crimea was formed in 1992, although the republic was abolished in 1995, with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea established firmly under Ukrainian authority and Sevastopol being administered as a city with special status. Russian-installed authorities declared a state of emergency in Crimea on Friday, as repeated, intensified Ukrainian strikes on the peninsula lead to widespread power outages and fuel shortages. Stay on top of Crimea latest developments on the ground with Al Jazeera’s fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated maps. Perspective: Crimea was Putin’s trophy. Ukraine is turning it into a test of command, supply lines and political nerve. Crimea, autonomous republic, southern Ukraine. The republic is coterminous with the Crimean Peninsula, lying between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. In 2014 Russia covertly invaded and illegally annexed Crimea, a move that was denounced by the international community.