Cash withdrawals have been severely restricted in occupied Crimea

By August 1, the Russian state-owned bank VTB had imposed temporary restrictions on cash withdrawals from its ATMs in the temporarily occupied Crimea and Sevastopol for cardholders of other banks.

This was reported by Krym.Realii, citing the Russian publication RBC.

The maximum withdrawal amount is now 15,000 rubles per day (approximately 8,000 hryvnias per day) and 50,000 rubles per month (approximately 30,000 hryvnias per month). Previously, the limits were significantly higher—150,000 rubles per day and 300,000 rubles per month.

VTB’s press office stated that the restrictions are due to increased strain on the ATM network following the declaration of a state of emergency on the peninsula. At the same time, according to the bank, service conditions for VTB’s own customers have not changed.

As noted by Krym.Realii, the Russian bank PSKB previously informed its customers about new limits on cash withdrawals via VTB ATMs. PSKB does not have its own ATM network in Crimea, so its customers use VTB and Uralsib ATMs.

Recently, the Belogorsky Greenhouse Complex, the largest of its kind on the peninsula, ceased operations in annexed Crimea. According to local activists, the enterprise halted production due to an acute fuel shortage, power outages, and logistical problems.

Earlier, in the temporarily occupied Crimea near Belogorsk,one of thepeninsula’s largest quarries suspended operationsdue to a fuel shortage.

Recently, Sergey Aksyonov,the “Gauleiter” of occupiedCrimea, acknowledged that the fuel crisis on the peninsula will not end anytime soon. According to him, no significant volumes of fuel are expected to be available for sale in the near future, and problems with electricity supply will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

As a reminder, following a large-scale attack by Ukrainian drones on military facilities in Kerch, the occupying authorities of Crimea andSevastopol declared a regional state of emergency. Officially, this was explained by the need to promptly resolve economic issues, though no specific reasons for this decision were given.

The Russian authorities also imposedtemporary restrictions on the electricity supply. The Russian-controlled company “Krymenergo” stated that the blackouts are necessary to prevent the power grid from becoming overloaded and to avoid large-scale accidents.

Андрій Колісніченко