Ярослава Кирюхина

A second wave of Russia’s gasoline crisis began in August 2026 as Ukrainian strikes damaged or disrupted oil refineries, coinciding with strong seasonal demand. Motorists in at least 25 regions, including Moscow and Tula, reported shortages, long queues, purchase limits and sharply higher prices; Crimea has faced shortages continuously since June. Refinery attacks, repairs and reduced fuel sales on the domestic exchange have constrained supply, while imports from Belarus, India and Morocco remain too small or expensive to resolve the problem. The government has extended a fuel-export ban, pursued antimonopoly cases, increased imports and relaxed fuel-quality requirements, but consumers report poorer gasoline quality and possible vehicle damage. Authorities have also fined some people who publicly protested or discussed the shortages.

A BBC Verify and BBC Russian investigation found that 34,002 properties belonging to Ukrainian citizens, including homes, apartments and rural houses, have been confiscated or reassigned since 2024 in Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Occupation authorities classify properties as “ownerless,” often requiring displaced Ukrainians to obtain Russian citizenship and return in person to protect their ownership rights. Personal accounts from Mariupol and Melitopol illustrate how residents have been expelled from homes they built or maintained for decades. Russia says the measures regulate properties whose owners cannot be identified or contacted and may provide compensation later, while experts describe the policy as demographic engineering intended to reshape occupied territories and hinder their reintegration into Ukraine. Ukraine has a compensation program, but displaced residents report delays and difficulty securing new housing.

Residents across Crimea report prolonged electricity and water outages, fuel shortages, unreliable mobile communications and repeated drone attacks on energy infrastructure. The disruptions have made cooking, washing, food storage, medical care and business operations difficult, particularly in rural areas and among people dependent on electrically powered equipment. Ukrainian strikes on Crimean energy facilities intensified in July 2026, which Ukrainian officials describe in the context of Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. Emergency aid of 15,675 rubles per person is available in principle, but residents describe refusals, delays and payments that do not cover generator, fuel or property-repair costs. Volunteers and neighbors are supplying water, food and generators, while some residents leave temporarily; many others say they have no choice but to adapt and focus on surviving each day.