Crimea Rations Fuel at 20 Liters a Week as Ukrainian Drones Cripple Supply Lines
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 12
Crimea Rations Fuel at 20 Liters a Week as Ukrainian Drones Cripple Supply Lines
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 12
Summary
Crimea is enduring its worst fuel crisis since Russia’s 2014 annexation, with authorities capping gasoline sales at 20 liters per vehicle per week and drivers queuing for hours.
Ukrainian drones triggered the shortages by repeatedly hitting refineries, depots, pipelines, fuel trucks and key crossings, including the Chonhar route and other land-corridor links from Russia to the peninsula.
The disruption is spreading beyond motorists: speculators are selling fuel at double price, tourists have sought help on a hotline, and Kommersant reported nearly 80% of hotel bookings were canceled in late May and early June.
The Kremlin has unusually acknowledged the problem and promised action, even as Russian war bloggers criticize the military’s failure to protect supply convoys and respond quickly.
For Kyiv, the campaign shows it can still impose strategic and political costs on Moscow by undermining Crimea’s role as a logistics hub and symbol of Russian control.