Sochi officials ask residents to avoid driving as fuel shortage hits third day

The administration of Sochi asked residents and guests of the city to avoid trips in personal vehicles where possible, to 'reduce the load on gas stations and speed up the return to normal operations.' The appeal came after a meeting where officials attributed the shortage to 'logistical disruptions in supply' and 'resulting panic buying.'

Major gas station chains have introduced limits on fuel sales, and some stations have restricted gasoline sales to individuals. According to the local outlet Sochi1.ru, fuel problems in Sochi have persisted for a third day. Queues at stations stretch for several kilometers and cause traffic jams, and some tourists cannot leave the city due to the lack of gasoline.

Sochi Deputy Mayor Vyacheslav Bauer advised residents to use public transport or 'minimize trips in personal vehicles as much as possible.' The day before, city head Andrei Proshunin said the fuel situation 'remains under control': gasoline was on sale at 38 of the city's 58 stations. He also urged car owners not to stock up on fuel beyond what is needed and 'not to create additional tension.'

Sochi residents are posting videos of multi-kilometer queues at gas stations on social media. According to eyewitnesses, some drivers leave their cars at stations and wait 12 to 13 hours. Telegram channels are calling the situation a 'benzocalypse.' A subscriber to the Telegram channel of journalist Alexander Plyushchev wrote that the city has had 'no gasoline at all for the second day': 'People stand in line for 5 hours against the backdrop of United Russia posters ["Strength is in unity"] — truly unity!'

Russia's fuel crisis has worsened following Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries. On August 8, drones attacked the Ilsky refinery in Krasnodar Krai. The crisis peaked in June and early July, when regions introduced restrictions on gasoline sales. After a pause, active strikes on refineries resumed. According to estimates by the outlet 7x7, residents of at least 15 regions have again faced multi-hour queues and shortages of AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline, including Krasnodar, Gelendzhik, and the Kaluga, Saratov, Rostov, Tula, Ulyanovsk, and Voronezh regions, as well as Bashkortostan, Primorsky Krai, and Krasnoyarsk Krai. Kuban Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said as recently as July 30 that the fuel situation in the region had been stabilized.