Russian-backed authorities in occupied Crimea have suspended fuel sales to the public – reserving petrol only for government agencies – after a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot in Kerch killed four people and injured 28. Governor Sergey Aksyonov announced the measure on Telegram, saying that from 9 a.m. local time on Sunday, petrol stations across the peninsula would stop selling to individuals and businesses, whether by cash, card or fuel coupons. Fuel would be reserved, he said, solely for state services responsible for Crimea's "functioning and security".
The move follows months of Ukrainian strikes on supply routes in Russian-occupied territories, which had already forced rationing. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the overnight attack on the Kerch oil depot a "just response to Russia's brutal attacks". He also confirmed that Ukrainian forces had struck a logistics facility for oil transportation in Russia's Krasnodar region, which lies across the Kerch Strait from Crimea. Local authorities said one person was killed on a passenger ferry. Military logistics facilities and radar systems were also hit, Zelensky added, without specifying locations. "Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace," he said in a statement on X.
“Russian-occupied Crimea suspends civilian fuel sales after Ukrainian drone strike on Kerch oil depot kills four.”
Russia's defence ministry claimed 239 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight. Zelensky said at least seven people had been killed in Russian attacks over the weekend, with children among more than 30 injured. Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, is a strategically important launchpad for Moscow's strikes on the rest of Ukraine and a popular summer destination for Russians – some of whom have already reported struggling to find petrol to return home.
Aksyonov urged residents to remain calm and said further decisions would be announced through official channels. But the fuel suspension – the most significant restriction so far – signals how Ukraine's campaign against Russian logistics is putting pressure on the occupied peninsula far beyond the front line. Both sides have escalated attacks in recent months as progress towards a ceasefire has stalled more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion. Kyiv aims to choke off revenue for Moscow's war chest and undermine the Russian war effort, hoping to force President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. So far, however, there is little sign he is ready to talk, having rebuffed Zelensky's request for face-to-face talks in early June.