Russia Admits for the First Time: Ukrainian Strikes Are Causing Severe Damage

The Moscow government has offered a glimpse of the depth of the crisis. After four years of war, Russian civilians are being hit directly and hard. The damage is also deeply affecting the capabilities of the Russian army, Asaf Rozenzweig, N12. Published: 10.06.26, 06:36 | Updated: 10.06.26, 14:00

Ukraine’s ongoing campaign of strikes against Russian supply lines in occupied territories is beginning to leave clear marks on the ground, to the point that even the Russian authorities themselves are being forced to acknowledge the difficulties. Ukrainian drone attacks are disrupting Moscow’s supply network and worsening the fuel crisis created by earlier strikes on refineries and oil depots in Russia. In an unusual move, the Russian government admitted earlier this week for the first time that the strikes are causing damage that is also affecting residents. At the same time, the Russian army is also being hit hard by the trend, losing much of its ability to carry out attacks in occupied areas of southern Ukraine. Vladimir Putin | Photo: Reuters

Huge lines at gas stations and harm to civilians

The impact is being felt especially strongly in the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. In recent weeks, the area has faced major logistical difficulties and fuel shortages following a series of Ukrainian strikes on key transport routes connecting southern Russia and Crimea via the occupied city of Mariupol. The damaged road, also known as the P-280, is a major transport artery for Russian forces in southern Ukraine. According to estimates, since the beginning of May Ukraine has carried out about 300 drone strikes against trucks on the road, including about 30 fuel tankers, and the campaign intensified further this month. Advertisement

Huge lines on the way to gas stations in the Crimean Peninsula

The effects on daily life in Crimea are already being felt clearly. Videos published on social media show long lines at gas stations across the peninsula. Residents reported that they sometimes have to wait up to ten hours to refuel their vehicles. Advertisement

One resident of Simferopol told an independent website that he had started walking to work instead of using his car. He said the situation is less convenient, but not impossible. The BBC wrote that he even joked that he might now have to buy a horse. At most gas stations in Crimea, only up to 20 liters can currently be purchased using prepaid vouchers, and even that only when stock is available. At the same time, Russian tourists who arrived in the area before the crisis began in recent weeks are struggling to find fuel to leave the peninsula. The severity of the situation led the local authorities appointed by Moscow to set up a special hotline for them.

An unusual government admission about the continuing shortage is accompanied by a sharp rise in gasoline and diesel prices. On June 5, the head of the Russian administration in Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, admitted that it is not possible to meet the full demand for fuel in the region. According to him, hundreds of buses will have to remain in depots because of the shortage. Another unusual statement came yesterday from the Russian Energy Ministry. In an official declaration, the ministry admitted for the first time that there are problems with fuel supply in the "southern regions," a wording that is believed to refer to the occupied territories in Ukraine. The ministry said that enemy air strikes against energy and fuel facilities had created temporary supply difficulties, and announced the establishment of a permanent headquarters to deal with the crisis. Advertisement

Russian Armed Forces | Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, transport options to Crimea are shrinking. Sea routes have become dangerous following Ukrainian strikes that damaged ferries operating in the area. The bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia is also under constant threat, limiting traffic on it. As a result, Russia is increasingly forced to rely on overland supply routes through Mariupol, but these too are exposed to strikes along the way. According to Russian sources, the crisis is not only hurting civilians but also the military itself. The Russian military analysis channel Rybar, which is linked to the Kremlin, claimed that the same strikes that empty civilian gas stations are also hurting supplies to Russian forces in the south. According to it, the logistical crisis "does not distinguish between civilian needs and military needs and affects everyone at the same time." Advertisement

During the nights between June 6 and 7 and between June 8 and 9, a key bridge in the Chongar area in northern Crimea was damaged. The bridge served both Russian military forces and civilian vehicles traveling on a major road in the area. Following the damage, traffic on it was halted.

Ukraine continues to gain ground

At the same time, Ukraine continues to strike refineries and fuel depots inside Russia itself. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that during May, nearly 40% of Russia’s initial oil refining capacity was shut down as a result of those strikes. The attacks are not limited to the peninsula. Damage to infrastructure and supply lines has also been reported in the occupied regions of Luhansk and Kherson. A commander in the Ukrainian drone unit Raid told the BBC that disrupting Russian logistics is one of his unit’s main tasks, which includes strikes on warehouses, fuel tanks, buildings and even bunkers where Russian officers are staying. The Ukrainian commander did not refer directly to these incidents, but said it is an area where many heavy vehicles used by the Russian army operate, so mistakes can happen. However, he said this is not an intentional target against civilian vehicles. Advertisement

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky | Photo: Reuters

Fears of further strikes have also led to new movement restrictions. Moscow-appointed authorities in the Luhansk region have banned the operation of bus lines on two major roads leading to Mariupol and Crimea, and urged residents to avoid using them for safety reasons. The cumulative impact of the Ukrainian strikes, both in the medium and long term, is not limited to harming Russian combat capability. It is also bringing the war’s consequences into territory controlled by Russia, and directly affecting the daily lives of civilians living in occupied areas. After more than four years of war, Russian citizens have recently been realizing more than ever that the war is closer to them than they thought. Ukraine fuel Crimean Peninsula drones war Russia