Crimea is suffering from shortages of electricity, water, and fuel
In the temporarily occupied Crimea, problems with electricity, water supply, and fuel are intensifying. The Main Intelligence Directorate noted that this situation is a consequence of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the occupation of the peninsula.
"In the temporarily occupied Crimea, which Russian invaders have turned into a military base since 2014, problems with fuel, electricity, and water supply are worsening. Food prices have skyrocketed. The so-called tourist season has been a complete failure. The Muscovite population brought to the peninsula is increasingly returning to Russia,” the GUR stated.
July 2026 was marked by a prolonged blackout across the entire Crimean Peninsula for the occupiers, intelligence officials stated.
For example, during the week of July 14–20, approximately 1.4 million customers on the peninsula were simultaneously left without power.
In Dzhankoy, Yany Kapu, and Armiansk, power outages were recorded on at least eight out of ten days after the blackout began; in Sevastopol, they lasted seven days. At the same time, water was cut off for seven days in Alushta, six days in Simferopol, and five days in Yevpatoria. In some settlements, there was no electricity for more than ten days; in Yevpatoria, starting July 2, electricity was practically not supplied during the day, with service restored at night for only four to five hours.
The head of the Russian so-called “administration” of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, nicknamed “Goblin,” publicly admitted that there would be no precise schedules for restoring services.
In July 2026, gasoline at gas stations in most areas of Crimea was available only once every two or three days, with lines stretching over a kilometer, and the price per liter of AI-95 reached 269 rubles at gas stations and up to 300 rubles from resellers.
According to Russian statistical agencies, fuel prices in Crimea and Sevastopol rose by 18% and 25%, respectively, compared to the average price in Russia.
At the same time, food prices on the peninsula have risen. Certain goods in Crimea cost significantly more than, for example, in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai: kefir—167% more, eggs—149% more, and white bread—131% more. Just a year ago, in July 2025, the situation was the opposite—bread, eggs, buckwheat, and rice were cheaper on the peninsula than in Russia.
In the first half of 2026, 398 restaurants and cafes closed in Crimea—42.1% more than last year. Sales for some producers have fallen by 70%, forcing them to seek outlets on marketplaces and through retail chains outside the peninsula.
Real estate rents in Crimea have plummeted due to a lack of demand. For example, daily rental rates on the peninsula’s southern coast have dropped by 30–50%, long-term rentals in Simferopol have become about 13% cheaper, and apartments that used to be rented out within a few days now sit vacant for weeks.
Due to the large number of Russian military facilities on the peninsula, which are periodically subjected to legitimate fire from the Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces, as well as shortages of fuel, electricity, water, and internet, tourists are not traveling to Crimea, and many temporary tenants are returning to Russia.
The pseudo-administration is responding, tellingly, with subsidies, preferential loans, payment deferrals, and a reduction in rent for state-owned property by as much as 75%.
However, a true return to normal life and overcoming the crisis in Crimea are possible only after the complete de-occupation of the peninsula, the Main Intelligence Directorate stated.
As noted by intelligence sources, Moscow is not actually concerned about the negative consequences for Crimean residents resulting from the waging of a criminal war against Ukraine. The priority for the occupiers on the peninsula during the crisis remains supplying the Russian military contingent with material and human resources.
“A telling example is the situation in the Dzhankoy district, where, in order to receive a one-time compensation payment of 15,000 rubles for the lack of electricity and water for more than 48 hours, the occupiers began requiring men to provide proof of military registration. This requirement also applies to women with medical training, even though such a mark is not listed among the ‘documents’ required to receive the payment from the occupying administration,” the GUR reported.
“Thus, so-called humanitarian aid is being used by the aggressor state—Russia—as a lever to exert additional pressure on the local population of Crimea,” the GUR noted.
This was stated by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which also released detailed information regarding the situation on the peninsula.
Following a massive drone attack on occupied Crimea, explosions and fires were reported.
On the night of August 1, drones attacked several temporarily occupied cities in Ukraine. According to reports from monitoring Telegram channels, fires broke out following strikes in Zuhres, Berdiansk, Luhansk, Dolzhansk, and Sevastopol.
As a reminder, the Russian online marketplace Ozon evacuated employees from its logistics center in Zelenodolsk (Tatarstan) due to the threat of an attack by Ukrainian drones. After the alert ended, the warehouse resumed normal operations.
On the morning of July 31, drones attacked a warehouse complex in Zelenodolsk (Tatarstan, Russian Federation), where the logistics facilities of the Ozon and Wildberries marketplaces are located. Following this, a number of Ukrainian sources reported that strikes on Ozon warehouses might continue.
