Occupation authorities in Crimea admit they do not know when fuel sales will resume

The authorities in temporarily occupied Crimea have admitted that they do not know when petrol and diesel sales will resume on the peninsula, saying that fuel supplies are being "regulated" by Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Source: Krymsky Veter (Crimean Wind), a local Telegram channel in Crimea

Details: There is currently no timeframe for the resumption of the free sale of petrol and diesel in Crimea, and the fuel situation on the peninsula remains difficult, said Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the Russian-installed head of Crimea.

"There is still no real breakthrough that would allow us to say that petrol will be available at filling stations next week. The situation is quite difficult. A decision has now been made to supply fuel only to emergency services and services responsible for essential functions, including food distribution groups," he said on the Krym 24 TV channel.

Priority is being given to supplying fuel to emergency services, including ambulances, transport operated by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other critical services.

Kryuchkov said that, due to the fuel shortage, each ministry now has only one service vehicle available "for the prompt resolution of urgent tasks", while no other vehicles are being used.

"At the moment, Ukraine's Armed Forces are regulating fuel supplies to Crimea," Krymsky Veter quoted Kryuchkov as saying.

Background:

• Consumers in several cities and districts of occupied Crimea have been left without electricity due to technical faults in the power grid.
• The occupation authorities in Crimea announced new restrictions on petrol sales, under which fuel can only be purchased by representatives of the occupation administration.
• A fuel crisis is deepening in Russia and the occupied territories amid continuing Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. Fuel shortages previously reported in occupied Sevastopol and Crimea have spread to the Moscow region.
• Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has carried out over 20 strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, particularly oil refineries, export terminals and pipelines. As of early May, the damage had already cost Russia more than US$7 billion.

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