By mid-July, more than 50 Russian regions had imposed fuel purchase limits of 20–30 liters per fill-up and banned filling canisters, Radio Liberty reported. For villagers without stores, pharmacies, or regular transport, the restrictions have been catastrophic.
Alena, a pseudonymous resident of Novgorod Oblast, lives 30 km from the district center and said the lack of 95-octane gasoline has paralyzed her family's life. 'A round trip to the gas station is 10 liters, plus driving around the village. What's left? And if next time there's no gasoline, will I have to abandon the car in the district center?' she told Radio Liberty. Alena keeps goats, ponies, chickens, and rabbits, runs two guesthouses, and makes cheese and hay for sale — all requiring fuel. Electricity in her village is regularly cut.
Irina, a resident of the village of Novinka, said that after a hurricane, power was out for nearly three days. She had to use a generator to save food in refrigerators, but without a gasoline reserve that was impossible. 'Nowadays, probably no one mows with a scythe anymore — everyone has trimmers, and they also run on fuel,' she said. Matvey from Dubrovka has 36 ares of land: he mows with a trimmer for four days, while a tractor driver — who must be paid and brings gasoline from St. Petersburg — mows the rest.
Amid the crisis, Alena wrote to the governor of Novgorod Oblast and the regional government. 'The answer, as always: understand, wait, endure. Apparently, I have to go catch fish in the river and game in the forest, and treat myself with spells and plantain,' she said. After one complaint about a bad road, child welfare officials visited her. 'When we asked what we should do, officials said we should have stayed in the city instead of moving to such a backwater. No one is going to help us,' Alena added.
The fuel crisis has also hit public transport. In 35 regions, carriers raised fares or cut routes, according to iStories. In Irkutsk, fares rose 20%; the trip between Irkutsk and Angarsk increased by more than 30%. In Zabaykalsky Krai, companies began canceling routes in late June. Drivers complain of hour-long queues at gas stations after shifts. In Krasnodar Krai, journalist Andrey Koshik reported that about 50 state contracts for fuel purchases had been canceled — suppliers refuse to sell gasoline at fixed prices, uncertain of costs in two months. Among those unable to buy fuel are Armavir's children's hospital, a tuberculosis clinic, a blood transfusion station, and an emergency rescue service.
According to Reuters, in the second week of July, Russia's gasoline production fell 35% to 75,000–80,000 tonnes per day, compared with normal summer consumption of about 115,000–120,000 tonnes. EA Analytics estimated that Russian refinery processing volumes in July hit their lowest since 2005.