Following the damage to key logistical routes in occupied Crimea, the situation with the supply of essential goods and fuel is worsening. The occupation authorities already acknowledge stock issues, while local residents increasingly report shortages of certain goods and difficulties purchasing gasoline. Denys Chistikov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, told this specifically for UNN.
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Currently, a critical food shortage has not been officially recorded on the peninsula; however, the situation remains unstable, and prices for essential goods continue to rise. This is especially true for certain categories of products that largely depend on external supplies.
Currently, no critical food shortage has been recorded, but the situation is constantly changing, including another price hike for the consumer basket of essential goods. Also, the occupation administration itself admits that the existing logistical food stocks on the peninsula will last only a few weeks; in particular, occupied Crimea can provide itself with only just over 30 percent of dairy products. An increasing shortage of basic food products, primarily sugar, cereals, and flour, is being recorded in stores. Numerous complaints about the absence of buckwheat, rice, pasta, and salt are appearing in social networks and local chats
According to Chistikov, retail chains have already been recommended to limit the sale of certain goods. At the same time, he cites high demand among the population as one of the reasons for the shortage, as people are actively buying up products in a panic, fearing a further deterioration of the situation.
Retail chains are recommended to introduce limits on the sale of certain categories of essential goods per person. It is telling that the occupation administration initially tried to present this information as "Ukrainian propaganda," but confirmations came directly from local residents who are using messengers to find out among themselves where these goods are still available for sale in Crimea. However, the shortage of goods at this time is provoked more by panic demand from the local population than by their actual need. At the same time, the fuel shortage additionally hits the supply of food products, primarily in rural areas, as all delivery is carried out by road transport – goods are either not being delivered at all now, or their price is gradually rising
According to Denys Chistikov, logistics problems on the occupied peninsula are complex in nature. It is not about a single damaged object, but about difficulties in several key directions at once that provided connections to Crimea. This is already affecting both freight transport and passenger transport links.
The situation is systemic, not local – several key nodes were damaged simultaneously. After the strike, the Dzhankoy railway station was switched to technical transit mode: trains pass without stopping, passengers are taken only to the Kerch station, and from there by bus, while official announcements about the suspension of service are posted at the Sevastopol and Simferopol stations. The Chongar Bridge has been damaged repeatedly; it functions unstably, and only thanks to a pontoon bridge built nearby that operates in reverse mode. On June 11, the AFU struck three bridges in the Kherson region: across the North Crimean Canal in the area of Preobrazhenka and Myrnyi, the road bridge in the Perekop – Armyansk direction, as well as the bridge near the settlement of Stavky
The expert notes that the Perekop – Armyansk direction, which was previously used as a backup route, is also in question. Additional difficulties are created by restrictions on the Crimean Bridge and constant threats to transport links.
Thus, the Perekop – Armyansk direction, which until this day served as the main backup route bypassing Chongar, is now also in question. The Crimean Bridge is regularly subjected to air and water attacks, which are accompanied by traffic closures. The only way to quickly increase capacity would be to lift restrictions on the Crimean Bridge – however, due to security concerns of the Russian special services, the occupation authorities are avoiding this step
Fuel crisis intensifies
According to the official's assessment, the situation with fuel remains the most difficult. Gasoline and diesel stocks on the peninsula are limited, and sales are already being carried out under special rules. This affects both local residents and tourists.
The fuel situation is the most acute of all logistical problems. No strategic reserves remain on the territory of Crimea – all gasoline and diesel are brought in exclusively by road tankers "off the wheels" and are bought up the same day. The Russian-appointed "governor" of Sevastopol announced the cessation of free sale of gasoline at the gas stations of the largest local networks, TES and ATAN, and fuel is dispensed only by coupons with a limit of up to 20 liters per person. Most interestingly, taking advantage of the crisis, the occupiers decided to force people to install the Russian messenger MAX, as in Sevastopol, coupons (in the form of QR codes) can only be obtained through the corresponding messenger
Restrictions are already affecting transport operations and people's movement. Furthermore, against the backdrop of the shortage, various "commercial offers" related to fuel have already begun to appear.
The occupation administration has introduced limits on the purchase of fuel and is directing part of the stocks primarily for the needs of municipal and social transport. At gas stations in the Krasnodar Krai, fuel is absent within a radius of 100–150 km from the ferry crossing. In the conditions of rural Kherson region, the 20-liter norm does not even cover the return trip to the nearest working gas station. The fuel crisis has already affected the tourism sector: hundreds of tourists who arrived in their own cars cannot freely leave the peninsula due to difficulties in purchasing gasoline for the return trip
According to Chistikov, the consequences of the fuel crisis are already felt in various spheres of life on the peninsula. Bus routes are being reduced, and some settlements are effectively left without proper transport links.
Scheduled buses between villages and cities have been reduced or canceled, including routes from Simferopol to the southern coast, and some rural settlements are effectively cut off. A certain layer of people has emerged trying to profit from the crisis. Since the topic is widely discussed, cases of building marketing campaigns around it are appearing, such as a hotel that promised 10-20 liters of fuel for a 2-3 day stay, or a real estate agency that promised to let someone live in a villa by the sea for 100 liters of fuel. Overall, it can certainly be said that the situation has resonated both in Crimea and far beyond its borders