Russia has begun punishing those who complain about gasoline shortages
Amid a new escalation of the fuel crisis in Russia, authorities have begun cracking down on citizens who speak out publicly about gasoline shortages and unequal access to fuel.
Gasoline shortages have already spread to at least ten regions of the Russian Federation, and the shortage is becoming increasingly acute amid disruptions at oil refineries.
A telling incident occurred in Volgograd. Five local residents recorded a video appeal to Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, in which they complained about restrictions on gasoline sales to ordinary drivers. At the same time, they claimed that city administration officials were allegedly able to refuel their vehicles without such restrictions.
Instead of investigating these claims, the police accused the participants of holding an unauthorized mass gathering. One of them, attorney Alexei Sevastyanov, was detained for five days, and another participant was fined 10,000 rubles.
In Perm, another local resident was punished for attempting to organize a protest over the fuel shortage. Lev Samolovskikh had notified the city administration of his intention in advance and posted information on a Telegram channel. As a result, he was charged with “illegal campaigning” and fined 10,000 rubles.
Meanwhile, the fuel situation in Russia continues to worsen. Following attacks on Russian refineries, some facilities were forced to halt or reduce production. According to S&P Global, at least 26 facilities experienced disruptions, and seven of them had not resumed operations by the end of July. In August, four more refineries shut down.
Oil refining volumes in Russia fell to 3.6 million barrels per day—the lowest level in more than 20 years. In early August, the figure rose to over 4 million barrels but remained about 30% below the seasonal average.
After a brief improvement in late July, the gasoline shortage worsened again. Fuel sales restrictions were imposed in at least ten regions, and the problems had already reached the Moscow region.
In response, Russian authorities began redirecting additional gasoline supplies to Moscow from other regions, effectively giving the capital priority in supply.
The situation may worsen further due to scheduled maintenance at major Russian refineries and at one of the Belarusian refineries that supplies fuel to the Russian market.
As a reminder, the Orsk Oil Refinery in the Orenburg Region of the Russian Federation completely halted operations following an attack by Ukrainian drones.
As a reminder, the Russian oil refinery “Orsknefteorgsintez” halted oil processing following a Ukrainian drone attack on August 11.
Video: An oil refinery caught fire in Orsk following the attack.
Earlier, the General Staff confirmed a strike on the TANECO oil refinery in Tatarstan.
