Russia's Interior Ministry has promised to cancel fines for improper parking that drivers received while waiting in lines for gasoline, but only if they file individual appeals, ministry spokesperson Irina Volk said.
According to Volk, traffic police units will review each such violation and decide to cancel it "taking into account the insignificance of the offense or the driver's actions under conditions of extreme necessity." The cancellation is not automatic — drivers must submit a complaint to have the penalty annulled.
The problem emerged in the Saratov region, where two automated camera systems owned by regional authorities began issuing fines to cars waiting to refuel at gas stations. As of July 1, Volk said, these cameras stopped recording such violations.
Regional lawmaker Denis Bulanov had asked the regional Interior Ministry office to cancel the fines. In a response published July 14, the agency said the violations were recorded automatically, the road signs were legally installed, and there were no grounds for canceling the fines. After complaints to the central Interior Ministry, the position changed.
Gas station queues have formed across Russia amid a fuel crisis. According to The Insider, the only region that has not reported fuel shortages is Chukotka. Shortages are also occurring in occupied territories of Ukraine.
The long waits have already led to several conflicts. In Chelyabinsk, an argument between two drivers in line ended in a shooting: one man fired a traumatic pistol at another who had reprimanded him. The victim was hospitalized, and the suspect was detained. In Yekaterinburg, two men who identified themselves as former Wagner Group fighters attacked a journalist after he photographed a fuel queue.