MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin offered an unusually candid public acknowledgment over the weekend of widespread fuel shortages gripping the country, conceding that Ukrainian missile and drone strikes on energy infrastructure have created real difficulties for Russian motorists, businesses and the agricultural sector, even as he insisted the situation remained under control.

The shortages have been visible across Russia for months, with long lines forming at petrol stations, fuel rationing spreading to dozens of regions, and refineries repeatedly damaged by Ukrainian strikes reaching from Moscow to the Black Sea coast. In Crimea, the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula, drivers have been barred from filling their tanks altogether so that available fuel can be redirected to military vehicles. Despite the visible strain, Putin had largely avoided addressing the crisis directly in public until a weekend meeting with senior officials and oil executives.

Speaking candidly at that meeting, Putin acknowledged the toll the shortages have taken on ordinary Russians.

"You're well aware that problems persist for both motorists and businesses," Putin told the assembled officials. "Unfortunately, there are still queues at petrol stations, and finding the right grade of petrol isn't always easy."

Putin also pointed to the strain on Russia's agricultural sector, noting that the country's harvest depended on fuel supply schedules being met on time, an acknowledgment that ties the energy crisis directly to broader concerns about food production and the domestic economy heading........

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