In Crimea, residents are unable to obtain gasoline they have already paid for
Residents of occupied Crimea and Sevastopol who prepaid for gasoline using vouchers or fuel cards can no longer use them to refuel. At the same time, not everyone is able to get a refund for unused fuel.
Local gas station chains “TES” and “ATAN” have confirmed that they have temporarily suspended the sale of fuel using vouchers and cards to both individuals and businesses. The only exceptions are made for essential services and emergency services.
“TES” attributed the restrictions to an order issued by Sergey Aksyonov, the occupying head of Crimea. “ATAN” cited a gasoline shortage as the reason.
Meanwhile, “TES” customers are reporting problems with receiving refunds for unused vouchers. The company cites consumer protection laws, stating that goods can only be returned within 14 days of purchase.
Meanwhile, Artur Badalov, a legal advisor for the consumer protection service, noted that Article 487 of the Civil Code may apply in this situation. According to him, if the seller received an advance payment but did not deliver the goods, the buyer has the right to demand either the delivery of fuel or a refund.
Restrictions on fuel sales in Crimea and Sevastopol have been in effect since late May amid a gasoline shortage. In early June, Sevastopol even introduced a QR-code system for refueling vehicles. Some residents of the peninsula began traveling to the mainland for fuel or buying it from resellers.
On July 9, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin instructed the government to prepare measures to subsidize fuel deliveries to Crimea and Sevastopol. Aksyonov proposed compensating carriers approximately 85 rubles per liter of fuel.
As a reminder, drones from the Unmanned Systems Forces have struck another 19 power substations in occupied Crimea and the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk Oblast over the past two days.
On the night of July 23, according to social media reports, power substations in Gaspra and near Feodosia were attacked in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
Blackouts and a decline in tourism have caused electricity consumption in occupied Crimea to plummet.
The Ukrainian military has begun using a new tactic to strike Crimea.
