In Zabaykalsky Krai, authorities have begun testing fuel sales via QR codes that can only be obtained through the Max messenger. The announcement was made by regional head Aleksandr Osipov.
To receive a code, users must register with a special bot in Max, choose a refueling time, and select the type of fuel. Osipov said that if the set limit has not been exhausted, the user immediately receives a QR code and can arrive on the assigned day and refuel without waiting in line by showing it to a controller. A new code may be requested after six days.
For now, only one filling station in Chita will operate under the system as part of the trial. If the scheme proves effective, the governor said, it may be expanded to other gas stations. At the same time, conventional refueling through a live queue will remain available.
Regional officials say the measure is intended to reduce lines and prevent the same car from booking multiple refueling slots in a row. The regional Housing and Utilities Ministry described the use of the Max messenger as convenient, saying it removes the need for extra registration on third-party resources and, in the ministry’s view, should help prevent the resale of QR codes.
The article notes that in June, QR codes for gasoline vouchers were also introduced in annexed Sevastopol. Russia’s fuel crisis, the text says, has worsened amid Ukrainian drone strikes on oil facilities in Russian regions.
One of the most difficult situations has developed in Zabaykalsky Krai. Since late June, the region has been under a heightened readiness regime. It was previously reported that residents were being sold no more than 15 liters of gasoline, and only directly into vehicle tanks. As a result, motorists have been forced to wait in lines stretching for hours and several kilometers.