Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea cut off civilian access to gasoline on Sunday as Ukraine continued to hammer fuel infrastructure across the Black Sea peninsula.
Gov. Sergey Aksyonov, who was installed by the Kremlin to lead Crimea, reported that overnight Ukrainian strikes left four people dead and 28 others wounded. He did not identify the specific target of those attacks.
Aksyonov followed up with a social media post announcing that gas stations across the region would immediately stop selling fuel to private individuals and non-government businesses for an unspecified length of time.
“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov stated. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”
Ukrainian forces have struck Crimean fuel supplies repeatedly in recent weeks, creating the most severe energy shortage the peninsula has seen since Russia’s illegal annexation of the territory in 2014.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in a Sunday statement that among the targets hit were a Crimean oil depot and an oil transport facility located in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. He characterized the strikes as part of Ukraine’s strategy of “long-range sanctions” aimed at Russia’s energy infrastructure.
“Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Russian authorities in Krasnodar reported earlier Sunday that a drone attack set off a fire at a Black Sea oil terminal in the village of Chushka. Officials there also said Ukrainian strikes hit a ferry, resulting in one fatality.
While Crimea has faced fuel shortages from Ukrainian attacks in the past, the current situation is described as the worst since the 2014 annexation. Late last month, officials had already moved to limit fuel purchases to 20 liters — roughly 5 and one-third gallons — per vehicle owner each week, distributed through prepaid coupons. Those coupons were gone almost instantly after being made available through an official messaging app, leaving drivers waiting in line for hours just to refuel.
Residents have flooded social media with tips on where to find gasoline, and officials set up a hotline specifically for tourists in the area who found themselves stranded without fuel.
Some drivers have been bringing gas in from Krasnodar and other areas via the Kerch bridge, though they are limited to 100 liters — about 26 and a half gallons — per vehicle. Taking advantage of the shortage, some individuals are reselling fuel at twice the going market rate.
In an unusual move, the Kremlin publicly acknowledged the severity of the fuel crisis and pledged to resolve it quickly.
The Ukrainian strikes have underscored Kyiv’s capacity to inflict meaningful damage on Russian-held territory, even as Russia’s recent battlefield advances have largely stalled. On June 11, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine hit its 1,569th day — a milestone that surpasses the entire duration of World War I.
