Crimea halts fuel sales to civilians, rationing even at Russian pumps. Ukrainian drones strike Russian rear areas

In occupied Crimea, filling stations stopped selling fuel to civilians over the weekend, and Russian authorities temporarily closed the bridge across the Kerch Strait. The immediate trigger was overnight Ukrainian drones. But empty tanks on the peninsula are just the tip of the iceberg: for months, Ukraine has been systematically striking Russian oil refineries, and the crisis is increasingly spilling over into Russia's interior — rationing limits are being reported even in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This is not, however, a pure consequence of Ukrainian strikes.

Strike on Crimea

Overnight on Sunday, Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal in Kerch and fuel logistics facilities in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. Russian occupation authorities in Crimea subsequently announced that fuel would go only to state services; the order was attributed to the Moscow-appointed head of the peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov. Authorities temporarily closed the bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia to traffic. Al Jazeera ↗

Also read: Eight dead after Russian attacks on Ukraine. Kyiv reports strikes on fuel terminals in Crimea

Campaign against refineries

This strike is not an isolated case. On June 18 alone, nearly 200 Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow and its surroundings — according to Euronews, the largest attack on the Russian capital since the start of the full-scale invasion — reportedly also hitting a refinery in the southeast of the city; the extent of the damage cannot be independently confirmed. Ukrainian forces also boasted of hitting a refinery in the Tyumen region, more than 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine; according to Kyiv, its new drones have a range of over 3,000 kilometers. The Guardian ↗ Euronews reports that Russian oil production fell in May to its lowest level in a year, with restrictions affecting dozens of regions. Euronews ↗

Crisis in Russia's interior

Drivers deep inside Russia felt the effects. According to Kyiv Post and Russian media, the Lukoil chain limited sales in the capital and surrounding area to 100 liters per driver, and the Tatneft network limited sales to as little as 20 liters of gasoline and 40 liters of diesel in all the regions where it operates. Kyiv Post ↗ The newspaper Kommersant noted that on June 21, prices in the Moscow region jumped by more than three rubles per liter, with smaller filling stations having to buy in more expensive Belarusian fuel. Central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina acknowledged that rising gasoline prices could unsettle inflation expectations; the bank cut its key rate only slightly, to 14.25 percent, and warned of pro-inflationary risks from higher military spending. Euronews ↗

Escalation toward Belarus

At the same time, Zelensky stepped up outward pressure. At a press conference on June 19, he gave Belarus one week to remove Russian relay stations from its territory, which Kyiv says help guide Russian drones toward Ukraine — otherwise, he said, the Ukrainian military would destroy them. Militarnyi ↗

Limits of this account

Russia's fuel crisis does not have a single cause. Besides Ukrainian strikes, it is being fueled by seasonal demand at the start of summer, unplanned refinery shutdowns, and panic buying, which Russian experts themselves point to. The extent of damage to specific facilities cannot be independently verified — the Ukrainian side tends to exaggerate it, the Russian side to downplay it. And although Kyiv frames the campaign as a strike against Russia's war-supporting rear, its consequences so far weigh most heavily on ordinary Russian and Crimean drivers.

What hotinfo is watching

• whether the rationing regime will spread to other Russian regions and how long it will last in Crimea
• how the ultimatum to Belarus will play out (deadline around June 26)
• whether the extent of the damage in Tyumen and Kerch will be independently confirmed
• the impact on Russian inflation and the ruble exchange rate ahead of the central bank's next meeting
• whether the fuel crisis will disrupt Crimea's summer tourist season