In Russia, authorities have begun detaining people for reselling gasoline amid the fuel crisis

In Krasnodar, Russian law enforcement officials detained two residents of the Rostov Region who are suspected of attempting to resell gasoline at an inflated price. According to investigators, the men found a buyer through a messaging app, purchased about 1,000 liters of AI-95 gasoline at a gas station in Rostov-on-Don, and traveled to Krasnodar to resell it. The fuel was discovered during an inspection of a rented car.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the detainees’ actions may fall under the article regarding the sale of products that allegedly do not meet safety requirements. The maximum penalty under this article is up to six years in prison.

Amid an acute fuel shortage that arose after a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, the gasoline supply situation in Russia continues to deteriorate. Restrictions on fuel sales have already been imposed in approximately 40 regions of the country, while residents in more than 80 regions are reporting shortages of gasoline and diesel. Queues stretching for several kilometers are forming at gas stations—in particular, in the Trans-Baikal Territory, one of them reached nearly four kilometers.

To manage the situation in Transbaikal, Irkutsk Oblast, and Krasnodar Krai, authorities have organized patrols at gas stations. In the Kuban, Cossacks and volunteers have been enlisted to maintain order and manage the lines. At the same time, some regions are reporting that gasoline is being sold on a priority basis to officials and employees of government agencies.

According to analysts’ estimates, since March, Ukrainian drones have attacked Russian oil industry facilities at least fifty times. As a result, oil refining volumes in Russia fell in June to their lowest level in the past two decades. Gasoline production has declined significantly and no longer meets seasonal demand, which has become one of the main causes of the widespread fuel crisis.

This is according to reports from Russian propaganda media.

The fuel crisis is worsening in Crimea: gasoline is being sold based on ration cards and place in line.

The fuel crisis in Crimea has worsened: chronicles of a return to the home port.

As a reminder, the fuel shortage in Crimea has triggered a wave of mass layoffs and business closures.

Earlier, the Russian presidential administration sent special “recommendations” to state-run and pro-government media outlets regarding how exactly to report on the fuel shortage in the country.

The fuel crisis is also intensifying in Russia: gasoline is running out at gas stations and lines are growing.

Russia has allowed the use of lower-quality gasoline due to the fuel crisis.