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Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea suspended civilian gasoline sales on Sunday after a series of Ukrainian strikes targeted fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula, triggering the region’s most serious energy disruption in more than a decade.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said overnight Ukrainian attacks killed four people and injured 28 others, though he did not provide details about the targets hit.
Later, Aksyonov announced that petrol stations across Crimea would stop selling fuel to private individuals and non-state organisations for an unspecified period.
“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said, urging residents to remain calm and rely only on official information.
The restrictions come after Ukrainian forces intensified attacks on fuel infrastructure in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Ukraine targets Russian energy infrastructure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Crimean oil depot and an oil transportation facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region were among the targets of recent strikes.
He described the operations as part of Ukraine’s campaign of “long-range sanctions” against Russia’s energy infrastructure, aimed at weakening Moscow’s ability to sustain the war.
“Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
Russian officials in the Krasnodar region also reported a drone attack that caused a fire at a Black Sea oil terminal in the village of Chushka. They said another Ukrainian strike hit a ferry, killing one person.
The latest disruption has intensified concerns over fuel availability in Crimea. The peninsula has experienced shortages following previous Ukrainian attacks, but officials and residents say the current crisis is the worst since Russia seized control of the territory.
At the end of May, Crimean authorities introduced fuel restrictions, limiting petrol purchases to 20 litres per vehicle owner per week through prepaid coupons. The coupons were quickly taken up, leading to long queues at petrol stations.
Residents have turned to social media to share information about fuel availability, while authorities have opened a hotline for tourists stranded in the region.
Some motorists have attempted to bring fuel from Russia’s Krasnodar region across the Kerch Bridge, though transport limits allow only 100 litres per vehicle. Reports also emerged of fuel being sold by speculators at twice the market price.
The Kremlin has acknowledged the severity of the fuel shortage and promised a swift response.
The attacks highlight Ukraine’s growing ability to strike Russian infrastructure far from the front lines, even as Moscow’s battlefield advances have slowed in recent weeks.
The war, now stretching beyond the duration of World War I, continues to see both sides target strategic assets as part of their broader military campaigns.
With inputs from agencies
