Images of long lines of cars and trucks at gas stations are emerging more frequently from various regions in Russia. Despite claims from state television, referring to President Vladimir Putin’s assertions about having sufficient reserves, the reality is that many drivers are waiting—sometimes for hours.
The situation is confusing and overall not good, driving some Russians to reminisce about the shortages of the 1990s. A regional media outlet reported a “record” wait time of 18 hours at a gas station in Siberia’s Irkutsk earlier this week.
In the southwestern city of Krasnodar, a blogger reported waiting five to six hours at a Lukoil station, where only 92-octane fuel was available, capped at 20 liters per vehicle. Authorities later announced that 92-octane fuel could be found at 38 stations in Krasnodar, while 59 stations were not dispensing any fuel and eleven were closed.
Fuel Shortages in Parliament
The region is also one of agricultural importance, where farmers are now worried about their harvests. This concern is magnified in the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which is now under a state of emergency. The issue has even reached the tame Parliament in Moscow, where a senator from Siberia described the fuel supply situation for agriculture as “catastrophic.” The chamber’s chair urged the senator not to “over-dramatize.”
In some places, authorities are getting creative: In the city of Oryol, 350 kilometers southwest of Moscow, drivers are only allowed to refuel on even calendar days if their license plate begins with an even number. On odd days, those with odd first digits can fill up. This is supposedly to prevent “artificial panic” over fuel shortages in the region.
Identifying the Cause After Putin’s Statements
The fuel shortages are already significantly larger than in the summer of last year, appearing earlier this time. Now, well over half of Russian regions are affected, including occupied territories, and lines have also formed in Moscow. Fuel prices are skyrocketing, transport services have reportedly increased by ten percent, and more taxi drivers, who are also waiting at gas stations, are declining certain jobs.
Some regions are now limiting public transport. In Transbaikal in Siberia, even garbage collection has been suspended. In many areas, residents are sharing information on social media about where fuel is still available, with some offering their services as placeholders in lines. Search engines are seeing increased queries about where to buy fuel, leading to the creation of dedicated websites tracking availability.
Russia Looks to Kazakhstan and India
Even Putin cannot deny that lines are forming again. To alleviate the deficit, he now focuses on imports. According to Reuters, Russia has purchased at least 60,000 tons of gasoline from India to be delivered by tankers. Overall, Russia aims to import 400,000 tons of gasoline per month, also from neighbor Belarus. However, the gasoline from Belarus is more expensive and could be targeted by Ukrainian drones, potentially complicating Russia’s reliance on its close ally.
Russia is reportedly seeking imports from Kazakhstan as well, with negotiations for around 50,000 tons of 92-octane gasoline. Yet, Kazakhstan has requested kerosene in exchange—imports that Russia recently prohibited. The target import quantity of 400,000 tons per month appears low when considering that during summer, demand spikes to roughly 110,000 tons per day.
By late June, Reuters estimated that Russia’s fuel production had decreased by 25% compared to the previous year, down to 90,000 tons per day. Thus, even if the import target is achieved, Russia would still face a shortfall of around 200,000 tons of gasoline per month. The ongoing Ukrainian assaults—including a recent attack causing a major fire at a large Lukoil refinery—further exacerbate the situation.
Putin’s spokesperson commented that Russia is “in contact” with other countries regarding potential fuel imports “at acceptable prices.” The government is publicly considering subsidizing imported fuel and reportedly aiming to lower the quality to Euro-2 standards, which were banned in 2013.
