Crimea Suspends Public Fuel Sales as Ukraine Intensifies Drone Attacks

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian forces have shot down 84 drones heading for Moscow in the early hours of the morning.

Cars queue to refuel at a gas station after local authorities restricted petrol sales and introduced rationing amid a supply shortage that they said was caused by Ukrainian attacks on logistics routes, in the course of the Russia–Ukraine military conflict in the Black Sea resort city of Yevpatoriya, Crimea, on June 11, 2026. Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters

Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov said on June 21 that fuel stations across the peninsula have suspended sales to the public and businesses, with supplies being limited to government agencies responsible for security and other essential services.

Kyiv has, in recent weeks, intensified its drone attacks on Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, targeting supply routes that have triggered a fuel crisis.

Aksyonov said that in the latest drone attack on the peninsula, four people had been killed and 28 wounded.

Crimea also suffered power outages across several areas after electricity networks were damaged by the attacks.

Ferry traffic across the Kerch Strait, which separates the peninsula from the Russian Krasnodar region, was also temporarily suspended.

Crimea is home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet and is a popular tourist destination for Russians. On June 22, Aksyonov announced that children’s summer camps and tourist activities would be suspended until Sept. 1.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said authorities were working to reduce the impact of these recent attacks on the peninsula.

“The leadership of the Republic of Crimea keeps the public informed through a well-organized system,” Peskov said, according to state-run news agency TASS. “Hard work is underway to reduce the negative consequences of barbaric actions by the Kiev regime.”

Moscow Downs 84 Ukrainian Drones

Ukraine and Russia have continued their volleys of drone and missile attacks against each other.

A Ukrainian drone attack on an oil transport facility in the Russian Krasnodar region set an oil terminal on fire, killing one person on a passenger ferry.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on June 22 that Russian forces had shot down 84 Ukrainian drones heading for the capital in the early hours of the morning.

The latest attacks by Kyiv follow two drone strikes on Moscow’s oil refinery last week, with Sobyanin saying several drones had reached the refinery and that a shopping center had also suffered minor damage.

A satellite image shows fire and smoke rising from oil tanks, after what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was an attack on an oil depot in the city of Kerch, Crimea, on June 21, 2026. Vantor/Handout via Reuters

Russian drone attacks launched against the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia overnight and into the early hours of June 22 resulted in the deaths of two people and seven others being injured, according to Ukrainian emergency services.

An Iskander ballistic missile launched by Russian forces at the southern Odesa region on June 21 also killed one person and injured three others, according to the regional governor.

European Support

Recent weeks saw renewed statements of support for Ukraine from European and international partners.

The G7 leaders said in a June 17 statement that they “stand united” in their “unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”

They noted that they are committed to increasing pressure on Moscow’s war economy by strengthening sanctions, including those in the gas and oil sectors.

On June 12, the European Union announced that it had agreed to take the next step in admitting Ukraine to the bloc, a move that Kyiv sees as an important security guarantee for national stability once the war with Russia is over.

However, EU officials on June 19 said Brussels was not looking to act as a mediator to end the Russia–Ukraine war, which is now in its fifth year.

“The European Union is not—and we do not intend to be—mediators,” European Council President António Costa said during a news conference in Brussels after an EU leaders’ summit.

But Costa reiterated the bloc’s support for Kyiv.

“We have been with Ukraine through the war, and we will be with Ukraine after the war,” he said.

Kyiv has been trying to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to end the war by including European representatives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a June 21 post on X that while he was attending a European Council meeting last week, he discussed Europe’s role in negotiations with Russia “and what that role should be.”

“Europe will consider the format and propose several options, but Ukraine will decide who represents Europe in the negotiations,” he said. “That is fair.”

Reuters contributed to this report.