Crimea suspends gasoline sales – Russian oil continues to flow to NATO states
Wed 11:01 am +00:00, 24 Jun 2026
Source: https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/crimea-suspends-gasoline-sales
Crimean gas stations have halted all fuel sales, with gasoline reserved exclusively for “public services that ensure life and security” on the peninsula.
In a video message announcing the decision on June 21, the head of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, urged “everyone to stay calm and trust only official sources of information”, adding that he would update residents on “further decisions in connection with the situation in the fuel market”.
The head of Sevastopol announced on the same day that in order to conserve fuel, businesses, including grocery stores, would operate at reduced hours, and street lights would not be turned on.
The “temporary suspension” of fuel supplies comes almost a month after restrictions on the sale of AI-95 and AI-92 gasoline were introduced in Crimea. At the end of May, several gas station chains began selling fuel only to customers with government-issued coupons. Authorities stopped issuing coupons in the first week of June, and also placed a temporary ban on all cash sales of gasoline.
On June 6, Sevastopol implemented a QR code system to enforce a fuel ration of 20 liters per week for residents. However, delays in fuel supplies meant that even residents with digital ration cards were sometimes left with empty tanks.
Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on fuel trucks, oil refineries, bridges, and other infrastructure critical to Crimea have made it increasingly difficult to supply the peninsula with gasoline.
Crimea’s fuel shortage coincides with rising gasoline prices—and in some regions, restrictions on purchases—in mainland Russia. On June 22 the Saratov Region announced that from June 23-30 motorists will be prohibited from purchasing more than 30 liters of gasoline. On the same day, Irkutsk Region governor Igor Kobzev said that some gas stations had suspended sales and that the region would need to prioritize fuel for emergency services, public transport, utilities, and agricultural machinery.
In Vladimir, governor Alexander Avdeev called on residents to stop using private vehicles when possible. The head of the region blamed rising gasoline prices on panic buying and speculation triggered by temporary problems with fuel deliveries.
“The calmer the reaction of residents to temporary difficulties, the faster it will be possible to return the situation to normal,” he said on Monday.
While the availability of fuel remains precarious in parts of Russia, Moscow continues supplying NATO states with crude oil via the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine.
Russia’s oil exports to Hungary and Slovakia returned to “normal levels” of 165,000 barrels per day in May, according to Reuters.
