Ukraine hits fuel supplies to Crimea, sparking a fuel crisis on the Russian-held peninsula

Ukrainian Drone attack on refineries warehouses and pipelines. Tanker trucks attacked the land corridor from Russia to Crimea and set it on fire. Drivers waiting in long queues at gas stations.

Another blow to the Kremlin’s narrative that Moscow won the 4-year-old war in Ukraine, Kiev forces’ targeting of supplies to Crimea has triggered the worst fuel crisis since the Black Sea peninsula was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Persistent attacks reflect increased intensity and efficiency Ukraine’s drone attacks They caught Russia off guard and are scrambling for a response.

As the country marks the start of summer holidays by celebrating the national holiday of Russia Day on Friday, gas outages threaten to cause further disruption in the tourism-dependent region with its beaches and resorts.

Realizing the magnitude of the problem, the Kremlin promised to resolve it quickly.

Ukraine’s achievements They have highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage on Russia and turn the tide of the conflict as Moscow’s advance has recently come to a near halt. On Thursday, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reached its 1,569th day, surpassing the duration of World War I.

The importance of Crimea for Russia

Crimea It has been a jewel in Russia’s imperial crown since it was captured from Turkish-speaking Tatars after Moscow defeated the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954, when both republics became part of the USSR. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the diamond-shaped peninsula became part of newly independent Ukraine.

Russia maintained a naval base in Sevastopol, and when a Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president was overthrown by a popular uprising in February 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to seize Crimea. Weeks later, Moscow annexed the peninsula following a referendum that most of the world refused to recognize.

A Moscow-backed separatist rebellion soon broke out in eastern Ukraine, and fighting there continued with varying intensities until the February 2022 invasion. Concentrating in Crimea, Russian troops quickly captured much of southern Ukraine early in the war and secured the peninsula’s land route.

Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has fired missiles and drones to break Moscow’s dominance in the region. The Ukrainian military sank numerous Russian warships in the Black Sea and at its bases in Crimea, crippling Moscow’s naval capacity and forcing it to redeploy its fleet to Novorossiysk.

Ukraine has also regularly targeted ammunition depots, airports and Putin’s prized possessions. Kerch Bridge Connecting Crimea to Russia. The span was hit by a truck bomb in October 2022, killing five people, blowing up two sections of the bridge and requiring months of repairs. Further attacks on the bridge followed in 2023 and 2025.

Ukraine’s attacks on the land corridor leading to Crimea

After the Kerch Bridge attacks, Russia transferred most of the fuel and other supplies by road and rail through the occupied territories along the Sea of ​​Azov. Those shipments were disrupted last month when Ukrainian drones crashed into fuel trucks on a highway Moscow once deemed safe, leaving dozens of burning vehicles behind.

Other brutal Ukrainian attacks have hit refineries, oil depots and pipelines deep within Russia, damaging oil exports and causing fuel shortages at home.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted the synergy between long-range strikes and attacks that disrupted supplies to Crimea and other occupied territories.

“The long-range strike campaign therefore reduces Russia’s production capacity, while the medium-range strike campaign undermines Russia’s ability to transport the gasoline it is still able to produce,” one analysis said.

Making matters worse, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly hit the Chonhar Bridge, which connects mainland Ukraine and Crimea across a shallow strait, this week. Authorities installed pontoon bridges.

The Ukrainian military said it hit the bridge to prevent the movement of troops, ammunition and fuel from Crimea.

Queues and gas rationing

It is not yet clear how the fuel shortages will affect Russian military operations, but residents of Crimea and other occupied territories are keenly feeling the blow.

The peninsula has previously experienced periodic fuel shortages due to Ukrainian attacks, but this crisis is the worst since its annexation in 2014.

At the end of May, authorities limited gasoline sales to 20 liters (5 1/3 gallons) per vehicle owner per week, using prepaid coupons. These were pulled immediately after they were posted on an official messaging app channel, leaving drivers queuing for hours to refuel.

Social networks were flooded with requests and advice on where fuel could be found, and authorities launched a hotline for tourists who found themselves stranded.

While fuel shipments over the Kerch Bridge have been suspended for a long time for security reasons since the Ukrainian attacks, fuel is also transported by ferries. These shipments are expected to increase.

Some drivers bring their own gas across the bridge from the mainland, but they are limited to carrying 100 liters (about 26 1/2 gallons) per vehicle. Some speculators are selling gas at twice the market price.

Crimea welcomed nearly 7 million tourists last year and hoped to exceed that number this year. Economic newspaper Kommersant reported that about 80 percent of hotel reservations were canceled in late May and early June.

Some hotels offered gasoline as a bonus for new bookings, and these offers were quickly accepted.

Some passengers were uneasy when the driver was injured and his assistant died in a Ukrainian drone attack on a passenger train from Moscow to Crimea earlier this week. This led to the service being stopped for a short time, with passengers being picked up by buses.

In an earlier attack on a commuter train in Crimea, one person was killed and three others were injured; This forced the authorities to change schedules to limit trips during daylight hours.

Kremlin promises action

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged fuel shortages in Crimea earlier this week and promised that “measures will be taken” to deal with them.

While the Russian Defense Ministry has remained silent about its attacks on Ukraine’s land corridor, some war bloggers have harshly criticized the military for failing to predict the attacks and reacting slowly.

Some suggested using military escorts for fuel trucks, while others called for stepping up attacks on bridges, fuel storage areas and other infrastructure in Ukraine.

Amid the fuel crisis and finger-pointing, Ukraine has dealt another symbolic blow to Russia by striking the historic Sevastopol building, which houses a giant panoramic painting depicting the defense of the city during the 19th century Crimean War. The painting was effectively destroyed by the fire that broke out during the attack, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, who was appointed by the Kremlin as the president of Crimea’s largest city.

Military blogger Valery Shiryayev said that given Putin’s focus on Crimea, the attack would certainly anger the Russian leader.

“It is difficult to find another work of art, another part of the national heritage, whose destruction would be equally painful for Putin,” he said.