Russia’s fuel crisis is continuing to spread, with restrictions on gasoline sales being introduced at filling stations across different parts of the country. By midday on June 24, such measures had been officially reported in at least 20 regions.
Amid ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, some refining plants have been forced to cut output or temporarily suspend production. This has led to fuel supply disruptions at gas stations in various parts of Russia.
Russian authorities have often attributed lines at gas stations not to an actual shortage, but to “panic-driven demand.” Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, reporting to the Russian president, said the situation on the fuel market was under control, while also acknowledging periodically recurring objective logistical problems in certain regions and at some filling stations.
According to Novak, there are “periodically arising objective logistical problems in certain regions and at certain filling stations.”
At the same time, judging by official statements, Novak did not link lower gasoline production to the drone attacks. Rosneft chief Igor Sechin, by contrast, told Vladimir Putin in a letter about an “unprecedented number of damages” to Russian refineries caused by drone strikes.
The measures taken so far have produced no visible result. In some places, stations have banned gasoline sales into canisters; elsewhere, they have capped the number of liters sold per vehicle. In several regions, local authorities say the restrictions were imposed by gas station chains rather than by regional governments.
Regions with official restrictions
- Adygea
- Belgorod Region
- Bryansk Region
- Vladimir Region
- Vologda Region
- Irkutsk Region
- Kursk Region
- Kurgan Region
- Omsk Region
- Penza Region
- Samara Region
- Saratov Region
- Stavropol Territory
- Lipetsk Region
- Mordovia
- Novosibirsk Region
- Tambov Region
- Tatarstan
- Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
- Chuvashia
This list does not include regions where residents have complained about fuel shortages but where, as of June 24, authorities had not officially announced any restrictions.