Crimea suspends civilian gasoline sales

Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea suspended civilian gasoline sales Sunday as Ukraine ramped up attacks on fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula.

Gov. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that overnight Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28 others. He did not specify the target of the attack.

He later wrote on social media that local gas stations would halt all sales to non-state companies and individuals for an undefined period.

"Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea," Aksyonov said. "I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information."

The situation has hit those working in the transportation sector the hardest.

"No gasoline means no work. I just stay home," taxi driver Nikolai Borisov said. "We'll just have to wait for fuel deliveries."

Local residents see only one way out of the situation: driving to the mainland to buy fuel.

"There are also people around here who bring in gasoline. It costs a bit more, but you have to buy it. Life goes on, after all," one resident said. "Our Crimean leader certainly said something surprising today, but I think things will improve. The main thing is not to panic."

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted fuel supplies to Crimea in recent weeks, triggering the worst energy crisis in the region since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.