Governor Igor Artamonov said that starting August 13, filling stations in the Lipetsk region will again sell fuel based on the date and the first digit of a car's license plate. Cars with an even first digit will be able to refuel on even dates, and those with an odd first digit on odd dates.
Artamonov said the odd-even system will not increase the daily fuel limits available at gas stations. According to him, the primary task given current supply volumes is to organize queues and distribute the flow of cars more evenly across stations.
The restrictions will apply to gas stations of Gazprom, Lukoil, Teboil, and Rosneft. The companies will impose a limit of up to 30 liters of gasoline per car; no restrictions will be introduced for diesel fuel. The system will not be used on the M-4, R-119, and A-133 highways.
The Lipetsk region became the first region to bring back the odd-even system after it was canceled, notes 7x7. The system already operated in the region from July 11 to July 31.
Earlier, Artamonov acknowledged a second wave of the fuel crisis in the region and warned that "serious improvement should not be expected in the next week or two." As the project Mozhem Obyasnit wrote, gasoline availability in the Lipetsk region fell fourfold over a week — making it the worst-performing region in Russia.
Fuel problems were also acknowledged by Orenburg region governor Yevgeny Solntsev, who linked them to "the enemy's latest terrorist attack" — likely referring to the suspension of the Orsk refinery after a Ukrainian attack. The region also introduced the odd-even system and began selling no more than 30 liters of gasoline per tank.
The Tula region government blamed tourists and refinery repairs for the gasoline shortage. According to 7x7's calculations, fuel problems are recorded in at least 16 Russian regions, including Krasnodar, Primorsky, and Krasnoyarsk krais, Bashkortostan, and Kaluga, Rostov, Tambov, Saratov, Penza, Voronezh, Ryazan, Ulyanovsk, Smolensk, and Orenburg regions.
Artamonov himself became the richest governor among United Russia candidates for the State Duma — last year he declared an income of 168.6 million rubles. According to Mozhem Obyasnit, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the governor bought himself a BMW X5.