All gas stations in Crimea have completely stopped selling fuel, both for general sale and on ration coupons, announced Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of the peninsula.
Gasoline sales were halted as of 9 a.m. on June 21. “Fuel will be dispensed only to government agencies that maintain the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said.
Crimea began facing a gasoline shortage in late spring, a result of Ukrainian strikes on fuel tankers and cargo trucks supplying the annexed peninsula along the R-280 “Novorossiya” highway. On June 6, the TES network of gas stations in Sevastopol introduced QR codes for obtaining gasoline coupons (each entitled the holder to buy 20 liters — about 5.3 gallons). The codes could be obtained only once a week and only through the Max messenger app. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, said the codes were claimed “literally within a few dozen seconds.”
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