Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that his country was suffering a fuel shortage, after months of Ukrainian strikes on refineries and energy infrastructure.
In an interview released by the Kremlin on June 28, Putin said attacks on Russian energy sites had created clear problems. “Right now we’re observing a certain shortage, but it’s not critical,” he said.
Authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea had declared an emergency over fuel shortages and power cuts on June 26. Russia seized the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move not recognised by most countries.
At least 17 Russian regions have imposed mandatory restrictions on petrol and diesel sales. Civilians in Crimea have been banned from buying fuel altogether.
The shortages have been driven by a sustained Ukrainian campaign against oil terminals, refineries and pipelines deep inside Russia. Kyiv casts the strikes as fair retribution for near-daily Russian barrages on Ukrainian cities since the February 2022 invasion.
Hours before Putin addressed a congress of the ruling United Russia party on June 28, a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and set a refinery ablaze in the southern Krasnodar region. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the hit part of “operations that weaken Russia’s ability to wage this war”.
Putin told party members the attacks had no effect on the front line. Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said his forces had retaken more than 600 square kilometres since the start of 2026.
The Russian leader claimed his country had drawn on fuel reserves, which he said had fallen by about 4 per cent on the previous year. He conceded that queues remained at petrol stations and that farms faced difficulties during the harvest.
Putin also said he expected US negotiators to travel to Moscow to discuss ending the Ukraine War, once Washington was less consumed by Iran. The claim was relayed by Russian news agencies rather than the Kremlin itself.
US President Donald Trump had urged Moscow to reach a deal at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France in June. He later said Zelensky was faring well in the war.
The conflict has now lasted longer than the First World War. Russian missiles and drones have continued to strike Ukrainian cities, killing civilians and damaging power supplies.
