Russia’s Interior Ministry said it will cancel fines for violations of parking and stopping rules issued to drivers waiting for gasoline in lines at filling stations. The statement was made by the ministry’s official spokesperson, Irina Volk.
According to Volk, each such ruling will be reviewed by regional traffic police divisions, which will decide on cancellation by taking into account the minor nature of the offense or the driver’s actions under conditions of extreme necessity.
Her comment indicates that a driver will need to file a corresponding appeal in order to have the fine revoked. The measure concerns citations issued when cars were standing in long queues at gas stations.
Residents of the Saratov region had previously complained about such fines. There, violations near filling stations were being recorded by automated camera systems.
Volk said those systems in areas around gas stations were switched off on July 1.
Amid Russia’s ongoing fuel crisis, which authorities and media reports have linked to Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries, drivers in many regions have been forced to wait for hours at filling stations. Earlier reports also described conflicts in gasoline lines across the country, some of which escalated into fights.