Combustible sources: Putin spoke about measures to supply Crimea with petroleum products

Russia is building a fuel supply system protected from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Crimea, which will be extremely difficult for the enemy to reach. Temporary difficulties in the domestic market of petroleum products will be gradually overcome. Vladimir Putin stated this on July 13 at the forum of the Popular Front "Everything for Victory!". The Head of State also stressed the reliability of the base of the domestic fuel and energy complex. At the forum, he appreciated the developments of the national engineers from the Kulibin Club and supported the launch of the television show "Battle of Drones" by Mikhail Galustyan. How much money the Russians have already raised for the needs of their military and what the president told the doctors from the Kursk region is in the Izvestia article.

Who received awards for heroism

On July 13, representatives of all 89 regions of the country gathered at the Rossiya National Center — activists, volunteers, military officers and combat veterans. More than 1.2 thousand people who contribute to improving the lives of Russians and supporting their fighters. The reason is weighty: The Popular Front celebrates the four-year anniversary of the large-scale project "Everything for Victory!". Thanks to him, tons of equipment, equipment and equipment go to the front line, and in the rear, soldiers are helped with rehabilitation and return to a peaceful life.

The date was marked with a solemn concert, accompanied by Denis Maydanov's guitar and poems by veterans of the SVO. The winners of the "Ordinary Heroes" award were also honored: among them was a janitor from St. Petersburg, who caught a boy who had fallen out of a seventh—floor window on the fly. There was a lot of talk at the forum about those defenders who are no longer with us. So, the Order of Courage was given to the mother of the participant of the SVO: Senior Sergeant Sergei Yoshin, a scout of the legendary 76th Airborne Division, went through the Chechen campaign, volunteered for the front in 2022, and died heroically in 2025 during the liberation of the Kursk region.

The main awards of the "Everything for Victory!" project, which celebrate the merits of Russians who have shown self-sacrifice and heroism in extreme situations, were presented personally by Vladimir Putin. Among those whom the president shook hands with were Anatoly Vasilchenko and Viktor Taraskin, who work as security guards at the Starobilsk Pedagogical College, which was attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on May 22. There were 86 people in the building on the night of the tragedy: these men managed to save about 30 people.

Shamil Ustarbekov, a resident of Dagestan, was among the awardees, a guy whose act in March 2026 shocked the whole country. During the devastating flood, Shamil heard screams from the flooded passage and rushed into the icy stream. Tying a rope around his leg, he single-handedly pulled 23 people out of the abyss.

— I am now with one of the laureates, who saved 23 people from the water — imagine diving into this abyss and getting people out — I ask him: "Was it scary?" I just asked in his ear. He — (addressing Ustarbekov) wouldn't you be offended? — he says to me: "Just a little bit." But when people perform such feats, when people fight at the front, when people achieve amazing results in the rear, often without sparing themselves, of course, it can be scary. This is a normal reaction of a normal person. But our strength lies in the fact that we always overcome all difficulties and all fears, and this makes us stronger," said Vladimir Putin.

The Pozharskas family from the Amur region received a high award from the president. They have created a powerful volunteer movement from scratch to collect and send humanitarian supplies to the front line.

How Russians help defenders of the Motherland

Vladimir Putin has a special relationship with the Popular Front, because this social movement was created in 2011 on his personal initiative, when he was still prime minister.

— 15 years ago, a non-situational decision was made. The Popular Front has fully justified itself, completely. Because, first of all, we managed to get people like you here. I bow low to you for everything you do," the head of state addressed the audience.

The "front—line soldiers" have no less reverent attitude towards the president - the inscription "Putin's Team" is emblazoned on the T-shirt of each participant. The head of state was greeted with a deafening ovation from the stage, and the entire audience listened to his almost 20-minute address standing up.

"Please sit down,— Vladimir Putin asked with a smile. — no! We will stand, Vladimir Vladimirovich! — there was a reply from the audience.

All these years, the movement has been at the forefront of internal and external challenges. Today, the Popular Front has 552 presidential orders under its control. These are the most difficult social issues that citizens raise on "Direct Lines" (they are also organized by the ONF), and large-scale support for SVO fighters and their families. Vladimir Putin emphasized this in particular: despite all Western sanctions and barriers, Russia continues to develop its economy, strengthen its financial system, improve its Armed Forces, and achieve breakthrough results in the defense industry. And the great merit in this belongs to the volunteers.

— This is partly due to your efforts. You have united more than 20 million people around you, citizens of the Russian Federation. And we have raised — not from the state, but from citizens voluntarily, trusting you — we have allocated almost 70 billion rubles for our own purposes," the president summed up.

This is a huge amount for national gatherings, experts explain. She proves that Russians are absolutely confident that their funds will reach their recipients. This trust has been formed over the years: representatives of the foundation highlighted specific problems in the regions, built direct communication between officials and residents.

— The ONF has assembled a "showcase of assistance" today — training camps have been opened in various areas, the organization has managed to build a dialogue with people who want to help the fighters in their military, giving a clear answer on how to do this, — said political scientist Tatiana Kosacheva in an interview with Izvestia. — Patriotic movements today help not only in fundraising. Activists hold classes in schools as part of "Conversations about important things," organize concerts and marathons. A lot of work is being done with the soldiers of the SVO and their family members, including volunteer landings in the regions and media support so that people know their heroes and are proud of them.

What Putin was shown at the Popular Front exhibition

Vladimir Putin got to know the contribution of the Popular Front to the victory more clearly at a large-scale exhibition. In addition to humanitarian and medical stands, where 3D field dentistry "Twin Cities" and unmanned drug delivery were presented, the president was shown the latest developments of the Kulibin Club for fighters in the free military zone. He was shown UAV interceptors of various classes, a car with anti-drone nets, as well as a mock-up of the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon system. It is used to create false air defense positions and is used in conjunction with a radar target simulator.

In the face of attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian refineries and energy facilities, the head of state stressed that Russia has a huge margin of safety, and the difficulties encountered in the market are local.

— The basic basis of energy in Russia is very powerful and reliable. Yes, they are creating certain problems with oil products at the moment. I think the situation will gradually improve," Vladimir Putin said.

The most logistically vulnerable region here, of course, is the Crimean Peninsula.

— And this applies to Crimea. Because work is already beginning on creating a supply system that will be very difficult for the enemy to reach," he stressed.

The president did not go into the technical details of the new secure fuel supply scheme, but made it clear that the region would not be left without fuel. At the same time, the Russian leader harshly warned the organizers of the attacks: Moscow's responses will always be mirrored, but many times more powerful. The Head of State noted that the enemy is already feeling retaliatory actions and will feel them in the future "with increasing scale."

At the exhibition, the president's attention was attracted by a real ambulance, which is currently operating in the border areas of the Kursk region. The vehicle is fully equipped with protective equipment, including special bulletproof vests and anti-shatter armor blankets for patients and doctors.

— In those days [of the beginning of the Ukrainian Armed Forces invasion], we worked tirelessly and to the limit of all possibilities. They shot at us, which even the Nazis did not do — they hit cars with red crosses with direct fire. We hid from drones in bushes, fields, wherever we had to. But we persevered, we were able to," Yulia Shabalina, a paramedic from the Kursk region, told the president.

A separate large—scale block of the Popular Front exhibition was devoted to unmanned technologies, from training system operators in the rear to technological breakthrough at the forefront. Today, the training of UAV operators in Russia is reaching the state level: the Popular Front has already launched a large-scale training program based on 200 colleges in 70 regions. With the help of specialized simulators, simulators and games, students learn piloting skills.

The main surprise was the presentation of the upcoming media project. Actor and TV presenter Mikhail Galustyan announced to the president the launch of a unique show "Battle of Drones", designed to make the profession of a UAV operator as popular as possible among young people. The participants of the SVO, students, bloggers, and stars will compete in one team. Vladimir Putin appreciated the idea, noting that the popularization of such technological areas is now critically important for the country, and wished the authors good luck.