Russia attacks petrol stations in Zaporizhzhia, injuring five people

The fuel crisis, which escalated first in Russian-controlled Crimea and prompted a state of emergency and a full ban on fuel sales to ordinary people on June 21, is now reaching across Russia’s 11 time zones.

Just a few days later, Sadovnikova found herself waiting 18 hours to fill up in the city of Irkutsk, in eastern Siberia, almost 5000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

Kremlin-backed authorities in the port city of Sevastopol, where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based, directly attributed the blackout to an “enemy attack on energy infrastructure outside the borders of Sevastopol.”

Ust-Luga is one of Russia's largest ports for oil and other exports.