Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for government fuel subsidies for residents of occupied Crimea, saying people there “shouldn’t feel a burden” as fuel prices rise amid intensifying pressure from Ukraine’s attacks on logistics.

Putin directed the Finance Ministry to make subsidy payments “as quickly as possible,” after state media reported a growing domestic energy crisis affecting the peninsula. On the same day, officials in Crimea said parts of the region were still facing electricity shortfalls and outages while emergency efforts to stabilize supply continued.

At the center of the Kremlin’s troubles is Ukraine’s sustained campaign to disrupt fuel delivery routes used through Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”—sanction-evasion tankers that transport fuel to Crimea. Ukraine’s drone forces reported strikes near the peninsula in recent days, targeting multiple vessels involved in delivering fuel and ammunition.

Reuters reported that Ukrainian drones hit eight tankers in the Sea of Azov overnight, describing the strikes as aimed at complicating fuel supply for Russian forces operating in Crimea. The reporting also said Ukraine’s attacks have contributed to fuel shortages and emergency conditions in the territory.

Ukrainian officials framed the attacks as part of a wider push to isolate Crimea and weaken the logistics supporting Russia’s southern operations.