Volodin warns Russian lawmakers not to campaign on fuel crisis
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin urged deputies not to use the fuel crisis for election campaigns, calling for unity and warning against panic.
Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has warned lawmakers against building their election campaigns around the country's fuel crisis, calling populism and demagoguery destructive. Speaking before the State Duma, Volodin vowed that Russia would resolve "problems at gas stations" the same way it had overcome other difficulties in recent years—through unity, not panic.
He attributed past challenges to "the collective West," saying efforts to destroy Russia's financial system and economy had failed. "When we face challenges and start to waver and panic, that all plays into the enemy’s hands," Volodin said.
The fuel crisis has been triggered by Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities, forcing refineries to cut production or shut down entirely. Gasoline shortages have affected nearly all regions of Russia, with people waiting in line for hours at gas stations.
Last week, Nina Ostanina, head of the State Duma committee on family protection, accused the government of concealing the true scale of the crisis and warned that the shortages could hurt the party's results in the September State Duma elections.
