Russia’s armed forces have restored “full control” of a key highway that supplies Crimea through occupied Ukraine, the Kremlin-installed governor of the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia told President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
“The R-280 highway, which supplies Crimea, is today under full control,” Yevgeny Balitsky told the Russian leader in a televised meeting at the Kremlin.
Without elaborating, Balitsky said the Russian military uses “new methods and new equipment” to repel Ukrainian drones, which have targeted supply trucks along the highway in recent months, leading to an acute fuel shortage in Crimea.
The Moscow Times could not independently verify Balitsky’s claims.
In June, the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces vowed to “isolate” Crimea from mainland Russia by taking control of the R-280, which connects the annexed peninsula to southern Russia’s Rostov region via the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
Kremlin-installed authorities in Crimea began introducing fuel rationing measures in May as supplies entering the region began to dwindle. Retail gasoline prices in Crimea hit an average of 185.18 rubles per liter ($8.93 per gallon) on July 13, according to Rosstat.
Ukraine has also destroyed several bridges that link Crimea with occupied areas of southern Ukraine, leading to restrictions on commercial and passenger traffic along major roadways.
