A hotline has been set up in Crimea to provide fuel to tourists trying to leave the peninsula
6 June 13:11
Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed “head” of annexed Crimea, announced the launch of a hotline for tourists who are unable to leave the peninsula due to the fuel crisis. According to Aksyonov, Crimea’s “Ministry of Resorts and Tourism” has set up a special hotline that guests can call to refuel at designated gas stations. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
“Gas stations will be designated by region (south, west coast, center) where visitors can refuel in order to leave the peninsula,” he explained. At the same time, the region’s “head” acknowledged that “at this time, it is impossible to fully meet the demand for fuel.”
The day before, on June 4, Aksyonov announced a complete halt to gasoline sales in Crimea, warning that “there are no vouchers available for open sale and there will not be any in the near future.”
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According to him, no more than 20 liters are dispensed per person using the purchased coupons, and officials are stationed at every gas station to record vehicle license plate numbers. Aksyonov promised that utility services, ambulances, law enforcement, and public transportation would be fully supplied with fuel. However, he noted that 400 public transportation vehicles did not run on June 5 due to a gasoline shortage.
The cause of the fuel crisis is strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on oil refining infrastructure and logistics. Ukrainian drones have effectively taken control of the R-280 “Novorossiya” federal highway—the “land bridge” from Rostov-on-Don to Crimea.
And between January and May 2026, according to Bloomberg estimates, Russian refineries were attacked 38 times, with the Ukrainian Armed Forces striking 16 plants in May—a record for the entire war. Refinery utilization has fallen by 14% since the start of the year and remains about 20% below pre-war levels (OilX data). According to Reuters, by mid-May, plants with a combined capacity of 238,000 tons per day—a quarter of Russia’s total refining capacity—had shut down. Plants in Kirishi, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl—which produced over 30% of the country’s gasoline—have virtually ceased operations.
The fuel crisis has hit the tourism sector: hundreds of vacationers who arrived in their own cars are stranded on the peninsula.
“When we talk about a fuel shortage, the issue isn’t just about those who drive cars. Prices for food, groceries, and services are already rising. And this is having a very significant impact on all processes in Crimea,” noted Eskender Bariev, chairman of the board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
Supply issues have already begun to affect retail trade: in annexed Sevastopol, the Dobrobud supermarket has restricted the sale of food products.
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