Russian authorities in occupied Crimea have begun installing old-fashioned public payphones as the peninsula struggles with worsening power shortages and mobile network disruptions linked to Ukraine’s expanding campaign against Russian military infrastructure.
The first stationary payphones have appeared in Dzhankoi, northern Crimea, where mobile services have reportedly been restricted to scheduled windows of just four hours, twice a day. The move is a striking symbol of the growing strain on a region Moscow has long presented as a secure military stronghold.
The devices, installed on several streets including Kutuzova, Vostochnaya, Internatsionalnaya, Tolstogo and Karla Marksa, can reportedly operate without electricity or mobile signals and provide free access to emergency services.
A similar phone was also installed in Yevpatoria, highlighting the scale of the disruption affecting civilian life across the peninsula.
The return of payphones comes as Ukrainian forces intensify strikes against Russian supply routes, energy facilities and logistics networks supporting Crimea, a strategically vital hub for Moscow’s military operations in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted the peninsula’s infrastructure as part of a wider effort to weaken Russia’s ability to sustain its forces and pressure the Kremlin towards negotiations.
The campaign has focused heavily on fuel and energy supplies. Ukrainian drone attacks have struck oil facilities, storage sites and vessels transporting fuel, contributing to shortages and disruption across Crimea.
The situation has become particularly acute in the energy sector. Russian-installed officials have admitted that electricity restrictions are affecting cities across the peninsula, with Sevastopol authorities warning they can no longer maintain previous power rationing schedules.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, said authorities were unable to provide a fixed timetable for electricity supplies, while generators have been delivered to areas experiencing prolonged blackouts.
Residents in Sevastopol have been urged to conserve phone battery power, reduce electricity consumption and rely on designated charging points as officials attempt to manage the damaged energy network.
The developments underline a growing vulnerability for Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 and has transformed into a key military base and logistics centre for the war in Ukraine.
For the Kremlin, the peninsula was intended to serve as a symbol of Russian strength and permanence.
Instead, Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign is increasingly exposing the practical challenges of maintaining a heavily militarised territory vulnerable to attacks on its energy and supply chains.
The arrival of payphones may appear a small development, but it carries a powerful message: even in one of Russia’s most strategically important territories, the effects of the war are now reaching everyday life.
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