Crimean fuel crisis intensifies as a result of Ukrainian army attacks

The Feodosia oil depot in the occupied Crimea, a key tank farm and transshipment point for fuel supplies through the port, is unfit for repair due to repeated hits by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

This was stated by Mykhailo Honchar, President of the Center for Global Studies "Strategy XXI", in a commentary for Suspilne .Krym.

Gonchar estimated that the latest strikes on October 5, 6 and 13 finally put the facility out of commission. He explained: "Since the tanks were damaged and prolonged burning makes them unrepairable, they are already scrap metal that has undergone thermal deformation. The same goes for the equipment used to pump oil products."

The expert emphasized that the strategic goal of strikes on the fuel infrastructure in Crimea is to critically reduce the possibility of fuel supply for both the occupation forces on the peninsula and the transit of fuel through Crimea to the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.

"Destroying tank farms and hunting for echelons with fuel are priority tasks," added Honchar.

The strikes on oil storage facilities in Crimea, which has never had its own refining capacities, are deepening the fuel crisis. The damage to intermediate storage facilities (Feodosia, Sevastopol, Dzhankoy) complicates logistics and creates shortages.

Honchar also noted that there are other potential targets for destruction in the occupied Crimea, as the entire infrastructure that ensures fuel consumption is military. In particular, these are oil storage bases near airfields (where military aircraft are based) and railroad-related facilities, for example, in the Dzhankoy area.

On the night of October 12-13, the facility was attacked by drones of the SBU's Central Security Service "A" and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Earlier, on the night of October 6, the Ukrainian military had already attacked the facilities of the Feodosia Sea Oil Terminal, which is the main logistics hub for supplying the Russian army.

Катерина Глушко