Drivers queue for gasoline in Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea, June 2026
EA-Ukraine VideoCast: Under Pressure, The Kremlin Considers A Return to Talks
EA-Ukraine VideoCast: A “Desperate” Kremlin Amid Gasoline Shortages and Crimea’s Isolation
Thursday’s Coverage: Putin Acknowledges Kyiv’s Counter-Attacks
UPDATE 0934 GMT:
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced the disbursement of the first tranche of the €90 billion European Union loan to Ukraine.
Von der Leyen said €3.2 billion in macro-financial assistance is being transferred.
The loan, covering Ukraine’s military and financial needs through 2027, was approved last month after the change of government in Hungary.
UPDATE 0849 GMT:
The Moscow Oil Refinery, which provides around 40% of gasoline for the Russian capital, is expected to remain offline for at least six months after Ukrainian drone strikes, say “industry sources familiar with the matter”.
The complex was attacked on June 16, with damage to a distillation unit accounting for 53% of the refinery’s capacity was reportedly damaged. A second attack on June 18 damaged a more modern Euro+ unit that accounts for the other 47%.
The Gazprom Neft-operated facility processed 11.6 million metric tons of oil in 2024, producing 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel.
UPDATE 0840 GMT:
Four Russian regions and Russian-occupied Crimea have limited public transportation because of fuel shortages.
Two-thirds of Russian regions have imposed rationing amid Ukraine’s strikes on refineries.
The Kremlin is considering a full ban on diesel exports. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak maintained on Tuesday that the situation in the domestic market was “challenging but under control”.
Earlier this month, Nowak said there was no immediate need for a diesel ban.
He downplayed the fuel rationing measures across the country as “occasional delivery hiccups in certain regions and at specific gas stations”.
UPDATE 0813 GMT:
Ukraine’s air defenses downed 83 of 90 drones launched by Russia overnight. A ballistic missile and six attack UAVs hit seven locations.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine has carried out more strikes on the besieged, Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula.
Kyiv’s drones struck energy infrastructure, putting further pressure on the grid and gasoline supplies.
Videos showed a widespread power outage in the city of Simferopol, and a blackout of parts of the city of Yalta after an attack on a substation. Explosions were also heard near the Balaklava Power Plant in Sevastopol.
Ukraine also hit and set afire the Poltavskaya oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, across the Kerch Strait from Crimea.
Russian proxy authorities said on Tuesday that around half of Crimea was without electricity. Sales of gasolines have been banned except for the military and essential services.
On Wednesday, Ukraine State security service SBU said the strikes would “continue methodically turning Crimea into a zone of constant losses for Russian forces until they leave the Ukrainian peninsula”.
In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kremlin is moving its air defense assets to Moscow; Valdai, near one of Putin’s residences; and the Kerch Bridge between southwest Russia and Crimea.
He emphasized that the shift of hundreds of launchers was “at the expense of air defense elsewhere”.
“There are many difficulties – all because Putin refuses to end his war and to hear our proposals for a meeting, genuine negotiations, and a dignified peace,” Zelensky explained.
