Drivers across Russia have again encountered queues at gas stations and fuel shortages. According to calculations by BBC Russian, complaints about gasoline problems came from at least 25 regions, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. In annexed Crimea, the crisis has continued for several months.
Major gas station chains in Moscow and St. Petersburg have reintroduced restrictions on fuel sales. Gazprom Neft in the capital sells no more than 40 liters per vehicle, Tatneft — 50 liters of gasoline and 60 liters of diesel. Similar limits are in effect in St. Petersburg. Independent gas stations that buy gasoline at wholesale exchange prices have raised prices: a liter of 95-octane in Tula and the Moscow region costs about 110 rubles, while average prices, according to Rosstat, are about 77 rubles.
Political scientist Mikhail Vinogradov told BBC that on August 20, early in the morning, half of the gas stations in central Moscow within the Third Ring Road were closed, with queues reaching an hour. Former deputy of Khimki near Moscow Anastasia Stetsenko said that at night unknown people drained gasoline from a car in the courtyard. Tula resident Alexander described queues "creating traffic jams and congestion on the roads" and gas stations that close after noon or when fuel runs out.
As of August 16, according to the GdeBenz app, gasoline and diesel were available at only 28% of Russian gas stations. The BenZinMap portal by August 20 recorded strict restrictions on fuel sales in at least 59 regions, and in another 17 — local disruptions or noticeable price increases. In the Bodaibo district of the Irkutsk region, gasoline reserves may run out within a month, Meduza reports.
The context of the crisis is Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, which resumed in late July. Over the past month, at least three refineries have suspended operations: in Tyumen and Ryazan (according to Reuters) and in Orsk in the Orenburg region, where the governor confirmed the shutdown and said repairs would take up to six months. Attacks on refineries in Volgograd, Saratov, Yaroslavl, Nizhnekamsk, the Samara region, Krasnodar Krai and Bashkortostan were also reported.
Against the backdrop of the second wave, disruptions in the supply of motor oils have emerged. There is no shortage yet, but some items have disappeared from sale, and prices in certain segments have risen by 40%, Meduza writes. The reason is the suspension of refineries and a shortage of imported additives. In late July, Russia began importing fuel from other countries, including India and Morocco; on August 20, the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange held the first sales of imported gasoline at 80 rubles per liter versus an average of 54 rubles for Russian fuel.