Ukraine’s drone campaign pushes Crimea into severe fuel rationing

Russian authorities in annexed Crimea said Sunday they will ban all fuel sales to the public after repeated Ukrainian drone strikes worsened shortages on the peninsula. Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, has been a crucial logistics hub for Moscow since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, but Kyiv is now increasingly disrupting fuel flows there by targeting energy sites, roads and bridges used to move supplies, including a key southern route linking Crimea with Rostov via occupied Mariupol.

The crisis in Crimea has deepened since last month, when officials limited purchases to 20 liters per vehicle per week and required pre-paid vouchers. Those vouchers quickly disappeared, long lines formed at gas stations, and the authorities opened a hotline for tourists stranded on the peninsula without a way home. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed governor, said only emergency services and other essential state bodies will now be allowed to buy fuel, adding that sales to non-government buyers are barred until further notice. “I ask everyone to stay calm and rely only on official sources,” he said.

The announcement followed another overnight drone attack, in which Aksyonov said four people were killed and 28 wounded. He did not identify the target, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike hit an oil depot near Kerch in Crimea, and that a separate oil terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar region, across the Kerch Strait, was also damaged. Russian authorities in Krasnodar confirmed an attack there and said one person was killed on a passenger ferry that was hit.

Zelensky again described the drone strikes as “long-range sanctions,” saying Ukraine had also damaged S-400 and Pantsir air-defense systems in Crimea. He wrote on social media, “Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is definitely working for peace.” The attacks are meant to sap Russia’s war finances and make ordinary Russians feel the conflict directly. The Kremlin has admitted to “problems” in the energy sector, and Russian industry sources say the country, despite being the world’s third-largest oil producer, may have to import fuel by sea this month. NATO chief Mark Rutte said last week that Ukraine is in a “very good” position, while Donald Trump also said Russia is losing more soldiers than Ukraine.