The stage of denial is over. Even the occupiers have now acknowledged that the long-awaited land route from Russia to Crimea is entirely under the control of Ukrainian defence forces. The people of Crimea would seem to have long since grown accustomed to all manner of ‘stones from the sky’ – and there has already been a food blockade, and a fuel crisis – but the introduction of petrol ration cards and videos of burning lorries near Melitopol have made it clear: the stones are getting heavier.

It suddenly became clear that the closure of the road along the Sea of Azov has a massive impact on the smooth running of virtually every aspect of life on the peninsula, from grocery chains right through to beauty salons.

“Well, I’ve had to cancel all my appointments for next week. Dyes, shampoos, hair masks… I used to order everything through Wildberries and never had to worry. But now delivery dates are being pushed back; I realise that lorries aren’t travelling to Crimea. And I don’t have enough petrol to drive to the Krasnodar Krai and bring supplies back from there. I’m just in shock, because another week without work and I won’t have anything to pay the rent with. And in a month, I won’t have any savings left at all,” says the owner of a hair salon in Simferopol.

Wildberries is one of Russia’s most popular online marketplaces. For Crimeans, it has become the go-to place for buying clothes, cosmetics and electronics – after all, due to the high cost of logistics, the range of goods in local high-street shops is rather limited. At present, there is a sense of confusion at the pickup stations.

“Our income depends on the number of orders we process. But right now, customers are simply being told that deliveries are being postponed. I think the pickup stations will soon start closing down to avoid operating at a loss. We’ll all end up out of work,” predicts a staff member at a pickup station in Yevpatoria, with a sense of gloom.

Those working in the tourism sector are not exactly brimming with optimism either. Holidaymakers will not be able to reach Crimea by land, and even those who were planning to travel via the Kerch Bridge may change their minds.

“Last year, tourists kept an eye on the situation on the bridge and, to avoid getting stuck in traffic, opted for the bypass. Now you can’t even get through on the bypass, and the bridge is closed — practically every day. And there’s no petrol here. And there’s petroleum on the beaches. Well done on the war, lads,” says the owner of a mini-hotel in Sudak, expressing his outrage.

However, in regions far from the resorts, the lack of tourists is actually seen in a positive light. “They’re not bringing in any food. We’re eating what’s in our storerooms. And the fewer holidaymakers who come, the longer these supplies will last. So there’s no need to come here. There’s nothing for us to eat ourselves,” complains a pensioner from Dzhankoy.

Almost every Crimean resident is currently wondering how long the food supplies in the warehouses will last. Some are convinced that petrol vouchers are just the beginning, and that bread ration cards and sugar coupons are on the horizon. 

“I’m not urging anyone to do anything, but every evening I methodically drag home bags of long-life food. I’ve already filled half the balcony and won’t rest until I’ve filled it all. I don’t expect anything good to come of this disruption to logistics, and I have absolutely no faith in these imbeciles’ ability to solve problems,” says a doctor from Sevastopol.

The occupying authorities’ promises to “take measures to normalise the situation” do little more than irritate people.

“Not long ago, Aksyonov claimed that Crimea was an impregnable fortress. We can already see just how impregnable it is. It’s the same with logistics – he says the vouchers are available, but in reality, you can’t get hold of them anywhere. I’m really looking forward to the comments about where Aksyonov should shove his vouchers, starting to move from the online sphere into the real world,” quips an employee of one of Crimea’s transport companies.

"Serious challenges in the humanitarian sphere are becoming the baseline scenario for the second half of the year," say experts from the human rights initiative Irade in comments to Cemaat. 

“If logistics cannot be restored by autumn, the region will face severe resource constraints, with priority in fuel and food supplies being given to the military and critical infrastructure rather than the civilian sector,” say human rights activists.

However, despite all the existing and anticipated risks, some residents of the peninsula see one undeniable advantage in the severing of the land corridor: their hopes for the de-occupation of Crimea have finally begun to be backed up by concrete action. 

“I’m a former soldier, and I know what it means to cut off the operational rear. If we can achieve this to a sufficient extent, there will simply be no way to respond to the arrival of Ukrainian marines, for example, in Chornomorsk, because there’ll be no petrol or ammunition, and every junction around the bridgehead will be under drone surveillance. We’re still a long way from that, of course, but at least I now have a chance of living to see it,” says the retired soldier from Simferopol happily.