Ukraine strikes spark fuel shortages across Russia and Crimea

Vladimir Putin acknowledged fuel-supply problems in Russian regions as shortages spread from Russian-annexed Crimea into southern Russia and Moscow. The shift has shown up in queues at gas stations, regional limits on fuel sales and gasoline rationing on the peninsula.

Putin said the shortage was “not critical” and said a task force was working to ensure sufficient supplies. Russian officials were also weighing a diesel export ban and possible fuel imports to stabilize the domestic market.

The strain followed repeated strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure. A Ukrainian drone attack on June 16 started a fire at the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya and halted operations. Two days later, Moscow and the surrounding region were hit in one of the largest drone assaults since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with Russian authorities saying 194 drones were intercepted and at least 17 people injured in the wider Moscow region.

Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the Moscow refinery strike and said long-range weapons were an important component of pressure on Russia. Ukraine says the refinery attacks are retaliation for Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, and the pattern has increasingly focused on fuel production and logistics.

The pressure has been especially sharp in Crimea, where residents in Russian-controlled areas have faced gasoline rationing after drone attacks constrained deliveries.