Kathrine Frich
When a region relies heavily on outside supplies, any disruption quickly trickles down to everyday life.
Local residents suddenly find themselves waiting in massive lines just to keep their cars running.
Eventually, even the most optimistic official statements cannot hide the reality on the ground.
Running on empty
The fuel situation across the occupied Crimean peninsula is rapidly getting worse. While local authorities insist everything is under control, pro-Russian military bloggers are telling a very different story online.
According to the Latvian news portal LA.LV, Russian Z-channels are reporting a total collapse of the local fuel system. They admit that continuous strikes have completely shattered the supply chain.
Ukrainian forces have destroyed major storage sites across the region. Local distributors simply have nowhere safe to hold their imported petrol.
Breaking the chain
Transporting fresh supplies into the area has become a massive headache for Moscow. Moving flammable liquids across the famous Crimean bridge is now highly restricted.
Private rail companies are also refusing to help. Train owners will not send their fuel tank cars into the conflict zone because insurance companies refuse to cover the obvious combat risks.
The alternative routes are failing just as fast. Propagandists admit that all three railway ferries are currently broken down, and a replacement will not arrive before September.
Rising panic
Taking the land route through other occupied territories is equally unpopular. Civilian truck drivers are refusing to make the dangerous journey, no matter how much money they are offered.
One Russian military channel explained the dire situation clearly. They noted that private businesses on the peninsula are terrified of holding any flammable stock.
The channel stated, “Because these are civilian drivers, and they won’t drive even for a hundred thousand a trip. Not even for two hundred thousand.”
System breakdown
The same report added that local business owners refuse to store fuel because of the constant shelling. They noted that insurers simply do not cover those extreme risks.
The wider strategy is becoming painfully clear to Russian observers. Another Z-channel pointed out the deliberate nature of the Ukrainian military campaign against these vital supply lines.
They noted, “A systematic approach can be seen in all of the enemy’s actions related to strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, and the intensity of such attacks is only increasing.”
Social media is now flooded with images of totally empty gas stations. Where petrol remains, desperate drivers form lines that stretch for miles.
Sources: LA.LV
