Russian-backed authorities in occupied Crimea have suspended fuel sales to the public, the most significant fuel restriction since the peninsula was illegally annexed in 2014. Governor Sergey Aksyonov said individuals and businesses would be turned away from petrol stations, with gasoline now reserved solely for government agencies ensuring Crimea's "functioning and security."
The move comes after fuel was already rationed due to shortages caused by Ukraine's recent campaign against supply routes in Russian-occupied territories. Earlier, Aksyonov reported that four people had been killed and 28 injured by a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot in Kerch overnight. President Volodymyr Zelensky called that strike a "just response to Russia's brutal attacks."
“Russian-backed authorities suspend all public fuel sales in occupied Crimea after Ukrainian drone attack kills four.”
Zelensky also said Kyiv had hit a logistics facility for oil transportation in Russia's Krasnodar region, which lies adjacent to Crimea across the Kerch Strait. Local authorities said one person had been killed on a passenger ferry. Military logistics facilities and radar systems were also struck, the president said, without specifying where. "Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace," he wrote on X.
Crimea, a strategically important location from which Moscow's forces launch strikes towards the rest of Ukraine, is also a popular summer holiday destination for Russians. Some have reported struggling to find petrol to return home. "Further decisions regarding the current situation in the republic's fuel market will be announced at a later date," Aksyonov said.
Both sides have escalated attacks in recent months as progress towards a ceasefire has stalled more than four years on from Russia's full-scale invasion. Kyiv's focus has been to choke off revenue for Moscow's war chest by hitting its fuel exports, while also undermining the Russian war effort and maximising disruption for its population in the hopes of pressuring President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. So far, however, there is little sign he is ready to talk, having rebuked Zelensky's request for face-to-face talks in early June.
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. In the four years since Russia's invasion began, Ukraine has developed a booming defence sector, rapidly developing its mid- and long-range drone capabilities.