Ukraine launched at least 184 military strikes against Russian forces in Crimea and the Black Sea Fleet during 2024. These attacks destroyed ships, disrupted supply lines, and killed more than 1,000 Russian soldiers.

The death toll is the starkest number. Ukraine's Prisoners of War Processing Department confirmed at least 1,038 Russian soldiers stationed in Crimea were killed during 2024. This count includes only troops based on the peninsula itself—not soldiers temporarily posted there from other units. The real number is probably higher.

Two Russian Warships Destroyed

Russia's navy faced relentless pressure all year. On March 24, Ukrainian forces fired ten missiles that hit two Russian landing ships—the Yamal and the Azov—destroying both in one strike, the BBC reported. Think of these ships as transport trucks for the military: they carry tanks, ammunition, and troops. Losing two at once significantly reduced Russia's ability to move supplies and soldiers by sea.

Ukraine also hit Russia's supply lines. In August 2024, Ukraine destroyed a Russian ferry at the port of Kavkaz that had been carrying fuel and weapons into Crimea, Reuters reported. This port is one of Russia's main crossing points between mainland Russia and Crimea. The ferry's destruction blocked a key supply route that Russia had depended on since the Kerch Bridge was damaged in 2022. Ukraine also struck Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol during 2024, continuing a campaign against Russian command centers that started in 2023.

Oil Depots and Power Plants Under Attack

Ukrainian drones repeatedly targeted Russian oil and gas facilities throughout 2024. Crimea already has serious power shortages—Ukraine cut off the canal that brought fresh water and electricity to the peninsula in 2022. The 2024 strikes made things worse by hitting fuel storage. An oil depot in occupied Crimea was hit in October 2024, the BBC reported. Russia responded by launching missiles and drones at Kyiv; Ukraine shot down most of them.

This back-and-forth has become routine. When Ukraine hits Russian fuel or supply depots in Crimea, Russia launches long-range missiles at Ukrainian cities. Ukraine intercepts most of them but some get through, causing damage. This cycle has repeated for a year and a half without stopping.

Why Ukraine Is Targeting Crimea

Ukraine's 2024 campaign follows a clear goal: make Crimea too dangerous and costly for Russia to use as a secure base. Before 2022, Crimea was like a protected rear base for Russia—far from fighting, safe from attack, and filled with supplies and naval ships. That changed. Long-range missiles, drones, and naval strikes have made Crimea vulnerable. Russia now has to spend resources protecting the peninsula, move its ships elsewhere, and worry constantly about supplies getting through.

But Ukraine hasn't fully solved the problem. Russian warships that moved further east can still fire missiles across the Black Sea at Ukraine. Ukraine has made Crimea harder to use, but Russia's navy still packs a punch from other locations.

What happens next depends on two things. First, whether Western countries give Ukraine longer-range weapons. Second, whether Russia can defend Crimea well enough against improved Ukrainian drones and missiles. Ukraine's campaign is far from over.