Crimea’s Kremlin-installed leadership moved Sunday to cut off civilian access to fuel, a sign that Ukraine’s campaign against Russian logistics is putting pressure on the occupied peninsula far beyond the front line.
Sergey Aksyonov, Moscow’s top official in Crimea, said in a Telegram post that from 9 a.m. local time, gas stations across the peninsula would stop selling fuel to individuals and businesses — whether by cash, card or fuel coupons. Fuel would be reserved, he said, only for state services responsible for maintaining “life support and security” in Crimea.
The move follows a wave of reported Ukrainian attacks on energy and transport infrastructure in and around Crimea, including strikes near Kerch, the eastern Crimean port city that anchors a key supply corridor to Russia.
Facilities across the Kerch Strait in Russia’s Krasnodar region have also come under attack, underscoring Kyiv’s effort to hit the routes that keep Moscow’s occupation running.
For the Kremlin, the fuel restrictions point to the growing effect of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign, which has increasingly targeted the infrastructure Russia uses to supply its military.
Kyiv has increasingly targeted oil infrastructure it says supports Russia’s war machine, aiming to stretch Moscow’s defenses and disrupt the flow of fuel to troops, ships and military logistics hubs.
Aksyonov urged residents to remain calm and said further decisions would be announced through official channels. But the announcement pointed to a sharper reality — after months of Ukrainian strikes on depots, refineries, ports and supply routes, the occupation authorities are now prioritizing the state over ordinary drivers.