Ukraine escalates attacks on Crimea: fuel terminal hit, Kerch bridge closed, gasoline crisis deepens

Escalation in Kerch

Ukrainian forces launched a wave of drone attacks on the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula in the early hours of Sunday. Explosions and fires were reported across several regions, with the fuel terminal in the port city of Kerch catching fire and a large plume of smoke visible over the area. The Russian-installed governor of Crimea, Sergej Aksjonow, confirmed at least four people were killed and 28 others injured in the strikes. The Port Kavkaz on the Russian side of the Kerch Strait, which also houses a fuel terminal and an oil depot, was hit as well.

Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj confirmed the attacks, stating they targeted oil facilities on both sides of the Kerch Bridge.

“Oil installations on both sides of the Kerch Bridge were struck.”

Transport disrupted

The local authorities announced the closure of the Kerch Bridge, the main road link between Crimea and the Russian mainland, to car traffic. Ferry services across the Kerch Strait were also temporarily suspended. The attacks continued a pattern of Ukrainian strikes on supply routes: on Saturday the Ukrainian general staff reported hitting railway bridges in the Rozdolne and Vladyslavivka areas of Crimea, which Russia uses for military transports and logistics.

Fuel crisis deepens

Crimea has been grappling with a gasoline shortage for weeks, and the latest strikes sharply worsened the situation. On Sunday morning Aksjonow announced that fuel sales to private individuals and private companies were halted entirely.

“Fuel will be delivered exclusively to public institutions responsible for the critical infrastructure and security of the Republic of Crimea.”

The governor of Sevastopol, Michail Raswoschajew, added that the planned allocation of petrol for motorists on Sunday had to be cancelled. Only operational services are now permitted to refuel.

Tourism and regional impact

The tourism industry expects millions of holidaymakers to stay away from Crimea this summer because of the Ukrainian attacks and the supply crisis. Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014 and has used it as a bridgehead in its full-scale war against Ukraine since 2022.

Meanwhile, Russian forces continued their own aerial assaults on eastern Ukraine. In the Dnipropetrovsk region one person was killed and nine injured, according to governor Oleksandr Hanscha. In the Poltava region two people were killed and 13 injured in evening strikes.