Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the country was suffering from “a certain shortage” of fuel in an interview published by the Kremlin, after repeated Ukrainian strikes in their four-year war.

Kyiv calls the attacks fair retribution for Russia’s near-daily barrages on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since its February 2022 offensive.

“As for strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course these attacks on our infrastructure facilities create problems, that’s obvious,” said Putin. “Right now we’re observing a certain shortage, but it’s not critical.”

The main task now, he said, was to increase Russian anti-aircraft defense capacity and to ensure fuel supplies, particularly to Crimea.

In the interview, Putin also said he was expecting a team of US negotiators to come to Moscow to discuss ending the Ukraine war, once Washington was no longer so preoccupied with Iran and the Middle East conflict.

The authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea on Friday declared an “emergency situation” over fuel shortages and power cuts triggered by Ukrainian attacks on its logistics chains and oil facilities. Russia annexed the territory from Ukraine in 2014, a move not recognized by the vast majority of countries.

A few hours earlier, in a speech to the United Russia party congress, Putin had vowed to ensure security and overcome challenges as Ukraine steps up its retaliatory strikes inside Russia.

“Yes, we see the problems, we are aware of them and are responding to them, but we will certainly ensure the security of both the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia’s borders,” Putin told party members. “We will undoubtedly overcome all the challenges facing us today, including terrorist attacks on our territory and infrastructure facilities,” he added.

Putin’s speech came hours after a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region and sparked a fire in a refinery, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the hit part of the “operations that weaken Russia’s ability to wage this war”. “The Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was hit –- about 300 kilometers from the frontline. We also reached a refinery in the Yaroslavl region, approximately 700 kilometers from our border,” Zelensky said on X Sunday.

Last week, another Ukrainian attack caused a major fire at a refinery southeast of Moscow, shrouding the capital’s suburbs in plumes of thick black smoke. (AFP)