In Russia, fights are breaking out at gas stations, and lines are stretching up to 5 kilometers
Russia is facing a rapidly worsening fuel shortage, leading to clashes at gas stations, kilometer-long lines, and rising social tensions. According to CNN reporters, the situation is becoming increasingly complicated amid systematic strikes by Ukrainian drones on Russian oil refining infrastructure.
According to official data, at least 50 regions of the Russian Federation have already reported gasoline shortages, although unofficially, fuel shortages are being reported across virtually the entire country.
One telling example was an incident in Krasnodar, where two women got into a fight with a man who was trying to fill a canister with gasoline. In most Russian regions, such actions are currently prohibited.
Russian residents are also actively sharing videos on social media in which they joke about the situation. Some suggest arranging dates or even picnics near gas stations while waiting for fuel trucks to arrive.
Despite growing discontent, there have been no mass protests so far. In many cities, Russians are forced to push cars with empty tanks to gas stations that still have fuel, including in Moscow.
At the same time, lines at gas stations have already reached record lengths. It is reported that in one region of Siberia, the line stretched for about 5 kilometers, and nearly 900 cars waited up to 36 hours to fill up.
Against the backdrop of the fuel crisis, Vladimir Putin stated that the campaign of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries is “an information operation aimed at sowing self-doubt among Russians, and even better—at driving a wedge into society.”
Experts note that Russia currently produces about 85,000 metric tons of gasoline per day, while summer demand reaches 110,000 metric tons. Due to the loss of a significant portion of its refining capacity, the country is forced to increase crude oil exports, even though global prices for crude have fallen significantly recently.
Analysts believe that, despite serious economic difficulties, the Russian economy still has some resilience. At the same time, the Kremlin’s ability to sustain the current intensity of the war could be significantly reduced as early as next year.
This was reported in video analyses by journalists from CNN and The Telegraph.
As a reminder, on July 3, all gas stations in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, ran out of gasoline. This was reported by the Municipal Control Center (MCC) of the city administration, which noted that “at this time, there is no gasoline at gas stations.”
As a reminder, the fuel crisis in Russia is worsening: gasoline is disappearing from gas stations and lines are growing.
Russia has authorized the use of lower-quality gasoline due to the fuel crisis.
