Fuel shortages worsened in Russian-occupied Sevastopol late Thursday as authorities introduced limits on gasoline sales and residents rushed to fill their tanks amid fears of further supply disruptions.
According to local residents cited by Crimea.Realities, shortages and rising fuel prices began intensifying on May 21, with long lines forming at gas stations after occupation officials announced temporary restrictions on gasoline purchases.
“After representatives of the Russian authorities announced limits on gasoline sales per person, explaining it as ‘logistical difficulties,’ long queues of cars formed at gas stations by the evening,” one resident told the outlet.
Russian-installed authorities said drivers would be allowed to buy no more than 20 liters of gasoline per vehicle or fuel container at certain stations in order to avoid what officials described as “artificial panic.”
Residents said many drivers were uncertain how long the shortages would continue, while city bus drivers reportedly told passengers that fuel would soon be distributed “by coupons.”
Russian state-linked media also reported that diesel fuel was already being distributed through a coupon system.
The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said local authorities were trying to stabilize the situation “as quickly as possible.”
Crimea has faced repeated logistical disruptions and fuel infrastructure pressure during Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, particularly after attacks targeting military and transport facilities linked to Russian forces on the occupied peninsula.
Earlier on Saturday, a fire broke out at an oil terminal in Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, with regional officials blaming “falling drone debris.” Several technical and administrative buildings caught fire, while emergency services worked at the scene. Ukrainian media reported that the fire affected the Sheskharis terminal, one of southern Russia’s largest oil-loading facilities.