Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea suspended civilian gasoline sales on Sunday (June 21, 2026) as Ukraine ramped up attacks on fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula.

Governor Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that overnight Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28 others. He did not specify the target of the attack.

He later wrote on social media that local gas stations would halt all sales to non-state companies and individuals for an undefined period.

“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Mr. Aksyonov said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted fuel supplies to Crimea in recent weeks, triggering the worst energy crisis in the region since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on Sunday (June 21) that a Crimean oil depot, as well as an oil transport facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, were among the targets. He described the attacks as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia’s energy infrastructure.

“Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace,” he wrote.

Russian officials in Krasnodar reported earlier Sunday that a drone strike sparked a fire at a Black Sea oil terminal in the village of Chushka. They said that Ukrainian attacks struck a ferry, killing one person.

Motorists struggle to find fuel

The Crimean peninsula has had periodic fuel shortages from Ukrainian strikes before, but the current crisis is the worst since its 2014 annexation.

At the end of May, authorities restricted the sale of gas to 20 litres per vehicle owner per week, using prepaid coupons. Those were snapped up immediately following their release on an official messaging app channel, and motorists lined up for hours, waiting to refuel.

Social networks have been abuzz with requests and advice on where to find fuel, and authorities launched a hotline for tourists in the area who have found themselves trapped.

Some motorists bring their own gas from Krasnodar and elsewhere via the Kerch bridge, but they are restricted to carrying 100 litres per vehicle. Some speculators are selling gas at double the market price.

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In a rare public acknowledgment, the Kremlin has recognised the scope of the problem and promised to address the issue quickly.

However, Ukraine’s successes have highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage on Russia and change the course of the conflict, while Moscow’s advances recently have ground to a near halt. On June 11, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reached its 1,569th day, surpassing the duration of World War I.

Russian ​attacks overnight damaged port ‌infrastructure in Ukraine’s ​southern ⁠Odesa region and caused blackouts for ‌380,000 consumers in the ‌country’s north, ‌officials ⁠said.

Drones damaged ⁠agricultural warehouses, depots and administrative buildings, Oleh ​Kiper, ‌the Odesa regional governor, said on the Telegram ‌app. There ​were no casualties, he added.

The Kremlin on ​Wednesday (March 11, 2026) accused British specialists of involvement in a deadly ‌Ukrainian strike on the Russian city of ​Bryansk that used British Storm Shadow missiles ⁠and said it would take Britain’s role “into account”.

The Bryansk regional Governor said Tuesday’s (March 10, 2026) strike killed at least six ‌civilians and injured 37 in what he called a “terrorist missile attack”, without ‌saying what was hit. Ukraine said it had ‌struck ⁠a key plant producing missile components. Moscow ⁠accused it of deliberately targeting civilians.

Asked by Reuters if there would be a military response to the use ​of British missiles against ‌sovereign Russian territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take into account the British involvement.

“It is obvious that the launch of these ‌missiles was impossible without British specialists,” Peskov ​told reporters. “We are aware of this, we know it well, and we ⁠naturally take it into account.”

“In order to prevent such barbaric actions by the Kyiv regime from continuing, ‌the special military operation is being conducted,” he said, adding that one of the goals of the operation was to demilitarise Ukraine.

There was no immediate comment from London, though Russia has repeatedly said that Ukraine needs Western expertise ‌and Western-supplied targeting data and satellite imagery to fire advanced ​missiles deep into Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Kyiv had struck one of ⁠the most important military factories in Bryansk that produced ⁠electronics for Russian missiles.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the strike was ‌premeditated and directed against civilians, and challenged the U.N. to assess what had occurred.

Ukraine’s military ​said on Tuesday ‌(January 13, 2025) it ​had struck a drone manufacturing plant in the ​Rostov region of ⁠Russia.

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“The destruction of ​this facility ⁠will reduce the enemy’s capacity to ‌produce ‌drones and weaken ‍the Russian aggressor’s ability ‍to strike civilian targets on Ukrainian territory,” the military ⁠said on Telegram ​messenger.

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