Russian Fuel Crisis: 18-Hour Lines, National Guard Patrols, and Brodsky Parodies as Ukrainian Drone Strikes Bite
A severe gasoline shortage across Russia, triggered by Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries, has led to 18-hour queues, restrictions in 26 regions, and widespread public frustration, with authorities deploying National Guard patrols in the hardest-hit Irkutsk region.
Russia is grappling with a deepening fuel crisis sparked by sustained Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries. Gasoline shortages, or sharp demand spikes fueled by fears of a bigger deficit, have been reported in nearly every region. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the shortage but called it "not critical." Authorities in 26 regions have imposed fuel sales restrictions, but the measures have failed to contain the crisis, with lines at gas stations growing ever longer and social media flooded with complaints.
The situation is worst in Irkutsk, where Governor Igor Kobzev declared a state of high alert on June 28. Interior Ministry officers and the Russian National Guard began patrolling gas station lines, and police issued four citations for reselling gasoline at inflated prices. Drivers report waiting up to 18 hours; some still fail to get fuel. Portable toilets have been set up near stations, and a home-delivery service has emerged, charging roughly double the usual price.
Long lines and empty pumps are also reported in Ufa, Izhevsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Kaliningrad, and many other cities. In Rostov-on-Don, a resident searched for three hours before joining a line, only to find the gasoline ran out an hour later. In Crimea, where shortages began in late May, internet outages loom as providers lack fuel for generators and are not classified as critical infrastructure.
Despite the hardships, Russians are turning to humor: singing songs about gasoline, creating parodies in the style of poet Joseph Brodsky, and jokingly blaming VPNs. Telegram channels have compiled videos where a gas can is declared the must-have summer accessory, and wordplay on "zapravitsya" (to fill up) abounds.
