️ Russian-backed authorities in occupied Crimea have suspended fuel sales to the public, following a series of Ukrainian attacks on the peninsula's oil infrastructure.
️ Governor Sergey Aksyonov announced that fuel would only be sold to government agencies ensuring Crimea's "functioning and security," turning away individuals and businesses from petrol stations.
️ Earlier, Aksyonov reported that four people were killed and 28 injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot in Kerch overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a "just response to Russia's brutal attacks."
️ Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, has faced logistical difficulties and shortages, but this marks the most significant fuel restriction to date. "Further decisions regarding the current situation in the republic's fuel market will be announced at a later date," Aksyonov said.
️ Zelensky said Kyiv also struck a logistics facility for oil transportation in Russia's Krasnodar region, adjacent to Crimea across the Kerch Strait. Local authorities reported one fatality on a passenger ferry. Military logistics facilities and radar systems were also targeted, the president claimed, without specifying locations.
️ "Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace," Zelensky stated on X. He added that at least seven people were killed in Russian attacks over the weekend, with children among over 30 injured. Russia's defense ministry claimed 239 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight.
️ Crimea is strategically vital for Moscow's forces to launch strikes into Ukraine and is a popular summer destination for Russians, some of whom reportedly struggle to find fuel to return home.
️ Both sides have escalated attacks in recent months as ceasefire progress stalls over four years into Russia's full-scale invasion. Kyiv aims to choke off Moscow's war revenue by hitting fuel exports while undermining Russian military efforts and maximizing civilian disruption to pressure President Vladimir Putin into negotiations. However, Putin has shown little willingness to talk, having rejected Zelensky's request for face-to-face talks in early June.
️ Since the invasion began, Ukraine has developed a booming defense sector, rapidly advancing mid- and long-range drone capabilities and offering expertise to allies. Yet this success is a double-edged sword: each strike that embarrasses Putin invites inevitable retaliation. On Thursday, black oil specks rained on Moscow after Ukraine struck an oil refinery in its largest attack of the war. Kyiv and beyond now brace for Russia's response.
Source: www.bbc.com