In Russia, officials are urging people not to panic amid the fuel crisis
In Russia, amid a severe gasoline shortage and a fuel crisis, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko urged citizens “not to overreact” to the situation and to “seek solutions.” At the same time, the authorities acknowledge the difficulties, while the fuel market continues to decline.
Amid the fuel crisis, which has engulfed nearly all regions of Russia, one of Vladimir Putin’s key allies, Valentina Matvienko, publicly urged Russians to remain calm and not react emotionally to the gasoline shortage. According to her, the situation is complex but “under control,” and resolving it will take time. “Indeed, the situation is not simple; it is not easy,” Matvienko acknowledged during a session of the Federation Council, adding that citizens should “not just complain, but work together to find a solution.”
In fact, her statement was a response to the deepening fuel crisis in the country, where the gasoline shortage has already led to sales restrictions, lines at gas stations, and rising prices. According to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, the Russian government is even considering importing fuel from abroad. At the same time, the authorities are forced to relax fuel quality standards: initially, there was talk of lowering requirements to “Euro-3,” but now a return to the even more outdated “Euro-2” standard is being discussed—a standard that was banned over ten years ago due to its significantly higher content of harmful impurities.
Official statistics only underscore the scale of the problem. According to Rosstat, in May, production of petroleum products in Russia fell by 13.5% year-over-year—the worst figure since at least 2015. In June, according to Reuters sources, gasoline production had already fallen by 25% and was no longer sufficient to meet domestic demand.
Against this backdrop, calls to “not overreact” appear more like an attempt at political damage control as the situation in Russia’s energy sector continues to deteriorate. This is reported by Russian media.
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