Ukraine’s intensive drone strikes on Russian-occupied regions have disrupted Moscow’s supply chains and deepened the fuel crisis, writes the BBC.
Logistical problems and fuel shortages are particularly felt in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Many problems have been caused by recent Ukrainian attacks on the main highway and bridge connecting the peninsula with the southern Russian city of Rostov. Clément Molin, an analyst at the French think tank Atum Mundi, said that this particular road is the backbone of the Russian occupation. He said that since the beginning of May, the Ukrainians have carried out 300 drone strikes on trucks, at least 30 of which were transporting fuel. The campaign is expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
The operation has had a tangible impact on Crimea. The peninsula is strategically important to Moscow, as it is used to launch missiles and drones into the rest of Ukraine. The Mediterranean-like climate and long beaches have long been a desirable summer destination for Russians.
Local Russians and tourists alike have been quick to express their outrage on social media. Videos show long lines at gas stations, and residents have said they sometimes have to wait up to ten hours for their fuel. One local told the independent media outlet Bereg that he has started walking to work. It is less convenient than driving, but not a huge problem.
At most Crimean gas stations, locals can buy no more than 20 liters of fuel with a prepaid coupon.
That is, if it is available at all. Russian tourists who arrived on the peninsula before the severe fuel shortage began are now struggling to find enough fuel to leave Crimea. The problem has become so severe that Moscow authorities have been forced to set up a hotline.
There are also reports of very high petrol and diesel prices due to the fuel shortage. The Kremlin-appointed regional governor, Sergei Aksyonov, admitted on the 5th of June that it is currently impossible to fully meet fuel demand. As a result, hundreds of buses will be left at the depot in the coming days.
Roads are the only way for the Russians to supply the peninsula. The sea routes are too dangerous, and the Ukrainians have already successfully sunk several Russian ferries. Previous attacks on the Kerch Bridge and the threat of them have practically brought traffic to a standstill. Craig Kennedy, an expert on the Russian oil industry and a fellow at Harvard University’s Davis Center, told the BBC that he would certainly not want to push a fuel tanker across the Kerch Bridge now – it would be asking for trouble. This in turn means that fuel must be routed around the mainland, through occupied Mariupol, where fuel convoys are similarly at risk.
Some sources in Russia have reported that
Ukrainian attacks on logistics routes are already affecting the Russian army’s ability to fight.
A pro-Kremlin Russian military analysis account on the Telegram app has suggested that the same strikes that have emptied civilian gas tanks are also affecting the army’s supplies.
On the 7t of June, a Ukrainian strike damaged the Chohnar bridge in northern Crimea, which connected the peninsula to the rest of Ukraine and was used by Russians traveling along the R-280 highway. Traffic across the bridge has been suspended.
Fuel supply problems are also being exacerbated by Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries and storage facilities, which have been ongoing for several months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in May that 40% of Russia’s oil refining capacity had been destroyed in these strikes.
Kennedy said the Ukrainians were now expanding their campaign, targeting not only large refineries but also smaller, local fuel distribution networks. This, in turn, is having a stronger impact on the population and the military in certain regions, such as Crimea.
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