Russian-installed authorities in Crimea announced a state of emergency on the peninsula on Friday to deal with economic issues, after suspending tourism and children’s summer camps and halting all fuel sales in response to Ukrainian attacks.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, said on Telegram that the emergency situation would facilitate decision-making to ensure the stable operations of all sectors on which the livelihood of the population depends.
The authorities did not say what it would mean in practice.
In recent months, Ukraine has been pounding energy and other targets in Russia to undermine Moscow’s military capabilities and its finances while also trying to cut it off from Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The drone attacks are worsening fuel shortages, with people reporting rising prices and long queues at the filling stations.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, whose administration has questioned US mediation efforts, has said the attacks on civilian infrastructure are meant to sow discord among the Russian population.
