Ukraine's 300 Drone Strikes Deepen Crimea Fuel Crisis as Drivers Face 10-Hour Queues
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 8
Ukraine's 300 Drone Strikes Deepen Crimea Fuel Crisis as Drivers Face 10-Hour Queues
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 8
Summary
Crimea's fuel shortages have worsened sharply, with drivers queueing up to 10 hours and most petrol stations limiting sales to 20 litres on prepaid vouchers.
Ukraine has struck Russian supply lines repeatedly since early May, hitting about 300 trucks including 30 tankers and damaging a key bridge at Chohnar on June 7, disrupting the main land route via Mariupol.
Russia's alternatives are constrained: ferry links have been knocked out, the Kerch bridge is seen as too risky for fuel trucks, and Kremlin-installed leader Sergei Aksyonov said hundreds of buses would stay in depots.
The squeeze is compounded by long-range attacks on refineries and depots inside Russia, with Volodymyr Zelensky saying nearly 40% of primary refining capacity was disabled in May.
Pro-Kremlin military analysts say the logistics crunch is also hitting Russian forces in the south, underscoring Kyiv's broader strategy of bringing the war's costs to occupied territories and Russia.
In June 2026, Russian-occupied Crimea faces a severe fuel crisis, with widespread gasoline shortages and formal rationing disrupting daily life and economic activity. This crisis is directly linked to Ukraine’s ongoing attacks on Russian fuel infrastructure and supply lines, which have disrupted production at key facilities and limited Moscow’s ability to support its war effort. As fuel supplies dwindle, restrictions have spread across Crimea and other Russian-controlled regions, highlighting the deep impact of Ukraine’s strategy and the growing strain on civilians under occupation.