Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea have temporarily halted civilian petrol sales after a series of Ukrainian attacks intensified pressure on fuel infrastructure across the Black Sea peninsula.Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of Crimea, said overnight Ukrainian strikes left four people dead and 28 injured.
He did not disclose which site had been targeted.In a later post on social media, Aksyonov announced that fuel sales would be suspended for individuals and private businesses for an unspecified period.“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”Ukraine has stepped up attacks on fuel storage and supply facilities in Crimea in recent weeks, contributing to what has become the peninsula's most severe fuel shortage since Russia annexed the territory in 2014, a move widely condemned by the international community.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Crimean oil depot and an oil transportation facility in Russia's Krasnodar region were among the latest targets.
He described the operations as part of Ukraine's campaign of “long-range sanctions” against Russian energy infrastructure.“Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace,” he wrote.Earlier on Sunday, officials in Russia's Krasnodar region reported that a Ukrainian drone strike had ignited a fire at an oil terminal near the Black Sea village of Chushka.
