Fuel shortage worsens again in Russia – only about a quarter of stations have supplies

Russia is again experiencing a worsening fuel supply crisis. According to data from the “GdeBenz” app database, only around 28% of registered filling stations had petrol and diesel available on Sunday, the pro-government newspaper “Izvestia” reported. A week earlier, that figure stood considerably higher, at 41%.

The sharpest declines in fuel availability were recorded in the Volgograd, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Voronezh, Samara, Penza, Saratov, Lipetsk and Rostov regions, as well as in Tatarstan. According to the online outlet “Agentstvo”, authorities in at least eight Russian regions officially acknowledged fuel shortages and queues at filling stations last week, while media and social media users reported similar problems in 13 more regions.

Checks reveal shortages in major cities

On Monday, “Izvestia” correspondents inspected 21 filling stations in Moscow and the surrounding region. Petrol grade AI-92 was available at only seven of them, AI-95 at six, and AI-98 at just five stations. The outlet noted that even diesel fuel was not available everywhere. Meanwhile, a correspondent for the outlet RBC visited ten filling stations in Moscow and found only two of them operating.

Government promises a solution

Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev stated that both petrol and diesel remain available at filling stations across the country, though he acknowledged that queues are forming. He said the government is “actively working” to resolve the problem.

One of the causes of the fuel crisis is Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refining facilities. The first wave of the crisis hit Russia in spring and early summer, when fuel sales restrictions were introduced nationwide and people were forced to stand in long queues. The situation gradually eased by mid-July, but conditions have worsened again this month, pointing to a second wave of the fuel crisis.