Russian-backed authorities have suspended fuel sales to the public in occupied Crimea, imposing the most severe restriction yet on the peninsula as Ukraine escalates its campaign against Russian supply lines. Governor Sergey Aksyonov announced that individuals and businesses would be turned away from petrol stations, with fuel reserved exclusively for government agencies ensuring Crimea's "functioning and security".
Fuel had already been rationed due to shortages caused by Ukraine's recent attacks on supply routes in Russian-occupied territories. The decision came hours after a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil depot in Kerch killed four people and injured 28, an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky called a "just response to Russia's brutal attacks".
“Russian-backed authorities suspend fuel sales to public in Crimea after Ukrainian drone attack kills four.”
"Further decisions regarding the current situation in the republic's fuel market will be announced at a later date," Aksyonov said, offering no timeline for when ordinary residents might again fill their tanks.
Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, has long been a strategically vital hub for Moscow's forces launching strikes into Ukraine. It is also a popular summer holiday destination for Russians, some of whom have reported struggling to find petrol to return home. The latest measure deepens the logistical chaos on the peninsula.
Zelensky said Kyiv had also hit a logistics facility for oil transportation in Russia's Krasnodar region, which lies adjacent to Crimea across the Kerch Strait. Local authorities reported one person killed on a passenger ferry. Military logistics facilities and radar systems were struck as well, the president said, without specifying locations.
"Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace," Zelensky said in a statement posted on X.
The escalation comes as both sides intensify attacks with no ceasefire in sight, more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion. Kyiv aims to choke off revenue for Moscow's war chest by targeting fuel exports, while also hoping to maximise disruption for the Russian population and pressure President Vladimir Putin to negotiate.
So far, however, there is little sign he is ready to talk. Putin rebuked Zelensky's request for face-to-face talks in early June. Meanwhile, Zelensky added that at least seven people had been killed in Russian attacks over the weekend, with children among more than 30 injured. Russia's defence ministry said 239 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight.