Crimea brings back public street phones for emergency calls

YEVPATORIYA, Crimea, July 23 (Reuters) – Russian-controlled Crimea has installed public street phones for emergency calls to the police and ambulance service, providing an alternative to mobile communications that are often jammed as the territory comes under frequent Ukrainian attacks.

Ukraine has hit supply lines, military bases and power plants in Crimea, which Russia captured from Ukraine and annexed unilaterally in 2014 in a move not recognised by most countries.

Ukraine, which is under constant attack from Russian missiles and drones, says it is trying to isolate Crimea and undermine Moscow’s war effort.

On Wednesday, local authorities in Crimea said 17 civilians were injured in an overnight drone attack on the southern city of Yalta, where a high-rise apartment was hit. Both Russia and Ukraine deny they deliberately target civilians.

The administration of Yevpatoriya on Crimea’s west coast says it has set up phones across the city for calls to emergency services. A Reuters witness has seen several such phones in the city.

“If they work during power outage – and I wish no one would ever want them – as an additional possibility for protection in this world, it’s very good,” said Maria Ushakova, a local resident, about the phones.

Crimea, a popular holiday destination, has suffered power outages and fuel shortages, the latter caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on supply chains and oil refineries in Russia. It has had to cancel children’s summer camps and reduce the working hours of cafes and public transport.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Christian Schmollinger)