The queue to leave Crimea has exceeded 700 cars
The queue of vehicles waiting to leave the annexed Crimea via Kerch has exceeded 700 cars. This has been reported by monitoring Telegram channels.
Residents and tourists are leaving the peninsula as the situation regarding fuel, water and electricity supplies has deteriorated following Ukrainian attacks. Videos are appearing on social media in which people describe the situation on the ground.
In one video, a woman emotionally complains about the situation and says she wants to return to Moscow.
In another video, a man talks about disruptions to public services and states that he has no intention of sending his sons to war against Ukraine. He adds that he also has no intention of taking part in the fighting.
People are also posting videos from shops showing restrictions on the sale of goods to individual customers. One user said he had been forced to fit a lock to his car’s fuel tank due to the risk of fuel theft.
On the night of 21 June, Ukrainian drones attacked an oil depot in the Kerch commercial port and the port of ‘Kavkaz’.
Following this, the occupying authorities on the peninsula completely halted the sale of fuel at all petrol stations, both to private individuals and to companies, including sales via ration vouchers.
The Kerch ferry crossing was closed, and heavy goods vehicles were banned from using the Crimean Bridge.
On the same day, power cuts began in several districts of Crimea. The North-Western, Central and South Coast energy districts were left without power.
Rolling blackouts were introduced in Sevastopol, Alushta, Armiansk, Krasnoperekopsk and Dzhankoy. Electricity is supplied for a few hours before being cut off again.
Water supplies have also been restricted in Dzhankoy.
According to ‘Krymskyi Viet’, the cause may have been damage to the Tavriya Thermal Power Station near Simferopol following an air strike. Reports indicate a burnt-out tank, a damaged façade and a hole in the building’s structure.
Against this backdrop, Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed ‘governor’ of the occupying authorities in Crimea, has announced the suspension of admissions to all summer camps until 1 September.
The tourist season on the peninsula is effectively under threat. According to Travelline, bookings have fallen by 58 per cent year-on-year over the last two weeks, whilst in June the figure dropped by 50 per cent compared with May.
The property market in Sevastopol has also slumped. According to ‘Krym.Realii’, the supply of flats significantly exceeds demand, and sellers are prepared to reduce prices by up to 40 per cent.
Robert Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces, stated that Crimea is gradually losing its significance for Russia as a military springboard.
According to him, transport isolation, the collapse of the tourist season and a shortage of resources lie ahead.
“Things will never be the same again,” he said.
Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, has called on Russians to leave the peninsula “whilst the Kerch Bridge is still standing”.
