What’s Burning in Russia Today? Lots of Things.

Where to even begin this morning? I guess we’ll start with the oil depot in Stavropol, a Russian city located a few hundred kilometers east of Crimea. It was hit last night by a Ukrainian drone, producing a spectacular explosion.

Residents of Stavropol Krai reported explosions and a large fire early on Monday, while Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said Russian air defenses were repelling drones near the regional capital.

“As a result of the attack, a fire broke out in the industrial zone in the village of Vyazniki, Shpakovsky District,” Vladimirov wrote on Telegram, adding that there were no reported casualties.

Later, Russian outlet Astra, citing its OSINT team, identified the burning facility as an oil depot near the railway station in Vyazniki.

Video of the fire:

🔥Russian oil depot in Mikhailovsk, near Stavropol, after the overnight Ukrainian strike. pic.twitter.com/3rvlcRfee2

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 13, 2026

Another angle:

Meanwhile in Russia’s Stavropol pic.twitter.com/TiFSxNLQog

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) July 12, 2026

That was probably the most spectacular result last night but far from the only one. Saturday we learned that after dozens of ships were hit in the Sea of Azov, Russia had closed the Strait connecting it to the Black Sea. But the attacks on ships in the Sea of Azov continued overnight with another 15 vessels hit. That brings the total for one week of this operation to 105 ships. As always, Ukraine has released video of the strikes.

Magyar’s poetry update: Russia’s shadow fleet is on its way to the Red Book of the Sea of Azov.

15⚓️🔥overnight. 105 vessels engaged by the Birds of the Unmanned Systems Forces over 8 days.

Operation “MoLoChKa” will continue until russia’s shadow fleet is listed in the Red… pic.twitter.com/7JaDnadNHg

— 414 Magyar’s Birds (@414magyarbirds) July 13, 2026

So what happens to these ships? Well, they aren’t being sunk. As you can see in the video above (plus all the previous ones) the drones are usually aiming for the bridge. A successful strike turns the tanker into a floating hulk with no controls.

🔥🚢Clear footage of the aftermath of a Ukrainian drone strike on one of the Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov. https://t.co/jApLqjAtPM pic.twitter.com/HzQHurmP6g

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 12, 2026

Here’s another damaged cargo ship.

Inside view of the damage to the bridge of one of the Russian dry cargo ships hit by Ukrainian drone strikes in the Sea of Azov. pic.twitter.com/RtTJtDrdec

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 13, 2026

Meanwhile, strikes against the electrical grid in Crimea also continue.

Crimean update:

⚡️Operation “Crimean switch-off” and Air Defense Fall: the Kuban–Crimea energy bridge, 10 energy hubs, and 5 air defense elements in Crimea (S-400, Pantsir-S1, Tor, Nebo-U) engaged on 12–13 July.

During 12–13 July, the Birds of the Unmanned Systems Forces… pic.twitter.com/dEf3kVR7mY

— 414 Magyar’s Birds (@414magyarbirds) July 13, 2026

How much of an impact are these strikes having? Well, Russia has announced it will be giving $56 million to support businesses that are struggling because of a decline in tourism in Crimea.

Russia’s government has allocated more than 4.3 billion rubles ($56.3 million) from its reserve fund to support the tourism sector in the annexed Crimean peninsula and the city of Sevastopol, saying thousands of businesses have been hit by the fallout from Ukrainian attacks…

The government said the payments would support employees at more than 4,600 tourism-related businesses that had found themselves in a “difficult situation” because of Ukrainian attacks.

Of the total package, 3.7 billion rubles ($48.5 million) will go to Crimea, while 584.5 million rubles ($7.7 million) has been allocated to Sevastopol, according to the government’s press service.

The Russian Tour Operators Association (ATOR) said that by the end of July around 1 million trips to Crimea and Sevastopol had been canceled.

Some people have been posting videos about the empty beaches in Crimea, something you don’t often see in the summer months.

🏖️ Crimea’s Tourist Season Falls Flat

“There are absolutely no people here. It’s so unusual. The new waterfront is completely empty.”

Local residents filmed the beach in Veseloye on Kutlak Bay in occupied Crimea during what should be the peak of the summer tourist season. The… pic.twitter.com/OXxyu2d3T1

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Frontline_Daily (@ukraine_frontup) July 11, 2026

Meanwhile, the gas crisis continues throughout Russia. And you know what that means. More fight videos.

Residents of Russia’s Penza are getting into mass brawls in gas station queues for the right to fill up.

Similar scenes are becoming common across Russia during the fuel crisis, often triggered by drivers taking too much gasoline despite limits or cutting the line. pic.twitter.com/4tMp66WVBd

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) July 12, 2026

Gasoline battles are heating up in Russia. pic.twitter.com/cotISEFRlo

— Churchill MGᵀᴹ 🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇸 (@ChurchillFella) July 12, 2026

Gasoline war in Russia again 👊😅 pic.twitter.com/FLs3qSrfT3

— Beefeater (@Beefeater_Fella) July 12, 2026

Russia. Battle for Gasoline… 👊 pic.twitter.com/h7TSMl0mDq

— MAKS 26 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) July 11, 2026

There are so many of these that I’ve lost track.

Gasoline wars in Russia. pic.twitter.com/MDwc1CxLtw

— Churchill MGᵀᴹ 🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇸 (@ChurchillFella) July 12, 2026

Here’s what’s causing all those fights. Refinery output is down about 35% compared to previous years.

📉 Massive collapse: Russian oil refining has plummeted to 3.91 million barrels/day in July—the lowest level since March 2005, Bloomberg reports via EA Analytics.
The Context:
In 2025, Russia averaged 5.3M b/d. The current drop is a direct consequence of Ukraine’s systematic,… pic.twitter.com/1PRW1yogea

— big ben (@alternative_war) July 13, 2026

So even those who manage to get gasoline after waiting in lines for hours are paying inflated prices. In Crimea the price is sometimes over $15 per gallon.

Gasoline prices in Russia and Russian occupied Crimea for those lucky enough to find any are becoming obscene.

After waiting hours, here, Russians are filling up at 330 rubles/liter ($16.30/US gallon).

At 330 rubles per liter:
1 U.S. gallon = 3.785 liters
330 × 3.785 = 1,249.05… pic.twitter.com/17lOY5pKCh

— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) July 12, 2026

In some places it’s worse than that. Rostov is east of Crimea.

The authorities of Russia’s Rostov region are also fighting multi-kilometer queues at gas stations

They have set a new record by raising the price of 92-octane gasoline to 939 Russian rubles, which equals $12.23/per 1 litre. pic.twitter.com/m20vQKVLFN

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 13, 2026

It’s hard to see how this is going to end anytime soon. The strikes keep coming and repairs to these facilities won’t happen in a matter of days. Often it takes days just to put the fires out. The the damage has to be assessed and a plan for repairs made. This is why Putin isn’t counting on repairs, he’s counting on imports. But that means diverting money from the war effort to simply keep the economy running at the same time you’re ceasing exports of gas and diesel and bringing in less money to start with. It does make me wonder if the economy isn’t finally going to crack under the pressure. 

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