Crimea Declares Emergency as Ukrainian Strikes Disrupt Fuel Supplies

Crimea declares emergency as Ukrainian strikes disrupt fuel supplies, following a wave of attacks that affected fuel and electricity services across the Russia-annexed peninsula and parts of southern Russia. Russia’s Moscow-backed authorities in Crimea announced the emergency measures on Friday, citing shortages and the need to keep essential services running as Ukrainian strikes increasingly target logistics routes, oil facilities and military infrastructure. The move comes after Russia reported intercepting 660 Ukrainian drones overnight, describing it as one of the largest aerial attacks since the war began in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that attacks on energy infrastructure caused fuel shortages but said the situation remained manageable. Crimean officials said fuel conditions were particularly difficult and admitted no air-defense system could guarantee complete protection. Ukraine’s government said the strikes target military and energy infrastructure as retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, and officials in Crimea warned tourism operations were effectively “closing the beach season.”