Russian-backed authorities in occupied Crimea have halted retail fuel sales as Ukraine ramps up attacks on the peninsula’s oil infrastructure.
Fuel had already been rationed amid shortages caused by Ukrainian strikes on supply routes, and now only government agencies are allowed to purchase gasoline.
Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov said civilians and businesses would be turned away from petrol stations; the restrictions follow a recent drone strike that killed four people and injured 28 at an oil depot in Kerch.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as a "just response to Russia’s brutal attacks" and highlighted additional strikes on logistics and radar sites in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
Russia’s defence ministry reports 239 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, while Moscow’s oil supply lines and fuel export revenues are increasingly targeted to weaken the war apparatus.
Crimea remains a strategic launchpad for Russian operations, but also a popular summer holiday destination, with many Russians struggling to find petrol to reach home.
The conflict has seen escalating attacks across the four years since the invasion, with Kyiv aiming to choke off Russia’s revenue and apply pressure on President Vladimir Putin, though talks have stalled.
For more detail on the holiday struggle, see this BBC article.
