Drivers in Crimea are facing problems as petrol is rationed after Ukrainian drone strikes blocked road supplies in southeastern Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing witnesses and officials.
More than four years after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia faces near-daily Ukrainian attacks on its oil infrastructure, while Western sanctions have made crude exports more expensive.
Crimean Governor Sergei Aksionov, the governor put in place by Moscow to run the Ukrainian peninsula “annexed” by Russia, said limits had been placed on sales of the most widely used type of gasoline, Ai-95, and that people would have to use fuel cards for purchases.
“I haven't been able to feed for two days”
In Sevastopol, Crimea's largest city and the traditional base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Reuters witnesses reported long lines at gas stations.
“I haven't been able to get fuel for two days,” Oksana Senchenko, a resident of the city, told Reuters.
“Yesterday there was no gas, and today I'm driving around town and there's no gas, no 92, no 95,” she said.
Images posted on social media show long queues at gas stations in Crimea
Temporarily occupied #Crimea is suffering from a gas #shortage. Let's hope that the Russian regions will join the movement soon. pic.twitter.com/QposkOKr8n
— Kostya K (@Kostiantyn1024) June 1, 2026
“The reason is the Ukrainian drone attacks”
Former Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleg Tsaryov, a pro-Russian figure, said the road connecting Crimea to the mainland in the north was attacked by Ukraine.
“Fuel in Crimea is sold in limited quantities and through rationing coupons. The reason is Ukrainian drone attacks on fuel trucks on the Novorossiya highway – a land corridor connecting mainland Russia with Crimea,” Tsaryov said.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Russian-occupied Sevastopol, appealed for calm and urged people not to panic.
“The current difficulties are related to the need to strengthen security measures and optimize the logistical routes used to deliver fuel to our city. These are temporary but objective challenges that we will overcome,” he said.
Gas stations in other parts of Russia, including in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, also introduced restrictions on sales, Reuters witnesses said.
Russian authorities are working to resolve the issue of fuel rationing in Crimea, and resolving these issues is a top priority, the Kremlin said on Monday.
The Russian government announced, also on Monday, that it has banned aviation fuel exports until November 30.
