A Russian woman and a bearded man shared their reason for driving to a Kazakhstani petrol station in a viral video: “Simply to fill the tank,” they explained, highlighting emerging terms like “fuel tourism” and “gas hunting” in modern Russia.
The viral clip underscores the impact of Ukraine’s military actions, as swarms of Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries and fuel depots across Crimea, the Baltic, and western Siberia, creating massive plumes of smoke.
With Russian President Vladimir Putin refusing to engage in peace talks and asserting military advances, tens of millions of Russians now confront fuel shortages and lengthy petrol station queues, sometimes accompanied by violent clashes.
Residents in areas near Kazakhstan’s border—particularly along the Volga River, a densely populated region—have traveled hundreds of kilometers to Central Asia’s largest oil-producing nation to purchase fuel.
Despite Kazakhstan’s ban on petrol exports in late May, border guards report intercepting hundreds of attempts to smuggle fuel back to Russia using canisters, makeshift tanks, or large fuel trucks.
“There’s total contraband along the border,” said Timur, a businessman in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s capital, who withheld his name for safety.
Although Kazakhstan hosts three Soviet-era oil refineries, fuel prices there rose by 15.6 percent this year, according to UlusMedia on July 10.
кроме Kazakhstan, only Turkmenistan possesses significant hydrocarbon reserves, but its isolationist policies since the 1990s have limited its regional influence.
‘Deficit here for a long time’
Other Central Asian countries also feel the impact, especially Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—resource-poor, mountainous nations that previously sourced up to 90 percent of their petrol from Russia.
“They’ve been hit the most,” noted Galiya Ibragimova, a Moldova-based Central Asia expert with Carnegie Politika in Berlin.
Kyrgyzstan, part of the Eurasian Economic Union dominated by Russia, is now regulating petrol prices and seeking assistance from other ex-Soviet states to ensure stable fuel supplies.
Kyrgyz experts anticipate that repairs to Russian refineries could take months or years.
“Oil refinery equipment isn’t something you order online or from a supermarket,” said Kyrgyz energy expert Olzhas Baydildinov in televised remarks. “The shortage we face is long-term.”
The Kyrgyz government pledged to meet half of its fuel needs but only after modernizing its largest refinery, according to deputy energy minister Nasipbek Kerimov in early July, without specifying a timeline.
By mid-month, Kyrgyz authorities reported spending $11.4 million to subsidize petrol prices.
China’s help in drilling
Tajikistan faces particular vulnerability due to its minimal domestic oil processing—only 0.5 percent of its petrol consumption. Drivers already face fuel shortages and 20-liter per car limits at some stations.
“There are issues both in oil processing and logistics,” Deputy Energy Minister Daler Juma stated in early July, noting reserves would last at least 60 days.
In mid-August, he signed an agreement in Tehran to secure 2.5 million tonnes of oil, petrol, and diesel from Iran.
With support from China National Petroleum Corporation experts, Tajikistan has intensified efforts to locate potential oil fields. By year-end, they plan to submit a report on seismic reconnaissance to identify drilling sites.
“Then we’ll decide where to start drilling,” Tajikistan’s chief geologist, Ilhomjon Oymukhammadzoda, said at a news conference in early July.
Uzbekistan’s ‘reserves’ for winter
Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan previously resold Russian petrol to Uzbekistan, the region’s economic powerhouse with 39 million people and six car manufacturers.
Uzbekistan processes its own oil to meet about two-thirds of its needs, but new shortages have prompted the government to build a strategic reserve.
“We have a separate plan for fall and winter, and we’ve created enough reserves for two or three months,” Deputy Energy Minister Umid Mamadaminov said in early July.
Many Uzbek drivers are satisfied with switching to compressed natural gas, despite the space it takes in their vehicles.
“I switched 15 years ago and saved a lot,” taxi driver Azamat Tolipov in Tashkent told Al Jazeera.
Regional governments are seeking new oil and gas sources, but the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran is driving up global prices.
“Central Asian nations will desperately seek new suppliers, but with tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, even alternatives will be costlier,” analyst Ibragimova predicted.
Beijing appears to benefit from the crisis as sales of Chinese-made electric cars surge in the region.
Electric vehicle sales in Kazakhstan grew 36 times between 2022 and 2025, according to the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center’s 2024 report: “China has flooded Central Asia with electric cars.”