AZE.US
Fuel shortages have deepened in Russian-held Crimea after a new wave of Ukrainian drone strikes targeted supply routes, energy infrastructure and military logistics tied to the peninsula, Reuters and AP reported.
Filling stations in Sevastopol and Yevpatoriya have either run dry or seen long queues, according to Reuters. Local Russian-backed authorities have blamed disrupted deliveries, while Kyiv says its strikes are aimed at weakening Russia’s ability to supply forces operating from Crimea and southern Ukraine.
The pressure on Crimea is now becoming one of the clearest signs of Ukraine’s changing strategy. Instead of focusing only on the front line, Kyiv is increasingly hitting fuel, bridges, depots, roads and production sites that keep Russia’s military machine moving.
AP described the situation as the most serious fuel crisis on the peninsula since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Fuel sales have been restricted in some areas, while shortages have also affected civilian transport and the summer tourism season.
Ukraine’s military also said it struck the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Russian regional officials confirmed a fire after what they described as falling drone debris, saying the blaze was later extinguished.
The strikes come as Ukraine expands its use of medium-range and long-range drones against Russian energy and military infrastructure. Robert Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, told Reuters that Kyiv wants to cut Crimea off from Russia by targeting military routes and infrastructure.
The fighting on the ground remains heavy, especially in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces continue to press Ukrainian defenses. But the latest attacks show that the war is increasingly being fought far behind the front line, where fuel supplies, transport routes and repair networks can decide how long an army can keep advancing.
For Moscow, the immediate problem is no longer only the battlefield. It is whether Russia can keep Crimea and its southern forces supplied if Ukrainian strikes continue to hit the roads, bridges and fuel systems behind them.
AZE.US