The sale of fuel to the general public on the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea is suspended, the Moscow-appointed governor there, Sergei Aksionov, confirmed on Sunday. His statement came at a time when Kyiv intensified attacks on Russian supply routes, TASR reports, according to an AFP report.
21.06.2026 10:20, updated: 19:40
Photo: SITA/AP
Cars stand in a queue at a gas station in Simferopol, Crimea.
“Today, June 21, from 9:00 a.m. local time (8:00 a.m. CET), the sale of fuel at Crimean gas stations was suspended,” Aksionov said, adding that fuel will be sold exclusively to state-owned enterprises.
At least four people were killed in the area of the city of Kerch in the latest massive Ukrainian drone attacks on Crimea on Sunday night, according to local authorities. After the attacks, they also report 28 injured, Aksionov said on Telegram.
According to reports from social networks, there were several explosions and fires in different areas of the peninsula. A fire broke out in the fuel terminal of the port city of Kerch and a large cloud of smoke is rising over the region, the Telegram channel Krymskyi veter reported in the morning, but it was not possible to independently verify these reports immediately, writes the DPA agency.
However, the local authorities also informed at night about the closure of the Crimean bridge between Kerch and the Russian mainland for car traffic. The Kavkaz port on the Russian side of the Kerch Strait, where a fuel terminal and an oil warehouse are also located, should have been hit during the attack.
For weeks, Ukraine has been trying to cut off Crimea from supplies with increasing attacks, the German agency reminds, adding that a fuel crisis has erupted on the peninsula.
The governor of Sevastopol, appointed by Moscow, Mikhail Razvozhayev, also reported on Telegram in the morning that fuel deliveries continue to be delayed. In the Tver region, there are “temporary restrictions” on refueling at Surgutneftegaz and Tatneft gas stations, the authorities announced. According to reports on social networks, motorists are only allowed to fill up with a maximum of 20-30 liters, Rosneft gas stations are closed, writes Meduza. The governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov, admitted the problems with the lack of gasoline. He called on motorists not to fill up “in stock”, but only according to immediate needs, because otherwise gasoline will quickly disappear even from the gas stations where it is still available.
Various restrictions on the sale of fuel have been introduced by authorities in more than 50 Russian regions, the Banki.ru server reported. According to the portal, problems with gasoline no longer only plague the southern regions, but also central Russia, the northwest of the country, the Volga region and have even reached parts of Siberia. “Many gas stations where there are restrictions do not accept payment cards, so don’t forget to take cash with you when traveling by car,” he warned.
