Motorists throughout Russia are enduring long waits — sometimes lasting days — to refuel at petrol stations. With shortages intensifying, many are travelling across entire urban areas to locate open outlets, often spending nights inside their vehicles while awaiting fuel. Tensions frequently rise, leading to confrontations among those standing in line.
In recent months, Ukraine has escalated drone attacks on Russian refining facilities. On 6 July, Ukrainian forces struck the Omsk refinery, situated roughly 2,500 km (1,550 mi) from the frontier. This action follows a series of hits on Russia’s ten largest refineries, extending from the Leningrad region to Omsk. The campaign has exacerbated an already severe fuel crisis across much of the country.
No safe place in Russia?
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‘Fight for survival’
Across various regions, gas stations are shutting down, and the few that remain operational draw queues that can extend for many kilometres. In Gelendzhik, a resident recounts attempting to refuel for three consecutive days. She arrived at a station at 5 a.m., spent the night in her car, and still failed to obtain gasoline.
“It has become a matter of survival,” she explained, attributing the crisis not solely to scarcity but also to opportunistic resellers inflating prices.
Witness footage on social platforms highlights the gravity of the crisis in Chita, a city in the Transbaikal region of Russia. Drivers there are reported to queue for as long as 36 hours to purchase fuel; some exhaust their tanks while waiting and must push their vehicles. Online users further allege that spots in line are being traded for as much as 35,000 rubles (≈ €400/$460).
In several rural areas of Russia, residents are turning to horses as an alternative to cars. According to a Telegram channel, demand for workhorses has risen sharply, with the animals employed for logging, hay production, and routine farm duties.
Bicycle demand has surged as well. In June, sales on the CDEK.Shopping platform rose by 131 % compared with May, while advertising revenue jumped 263 %, the company reported to the Russian outlet Afisha. Consequently, bicycles are increasingly viewed as a viable substitute for motor vehicles.
“Hooray! I’m officially a pedestrian now,” a Krasnodar resident wrote after a local station began selling fuel exclusively to “special” vehicles — a designation that, according to the independent outlet 7×7, encompasses government‑owned cars. The outlet documented such practices in at least four regions, where access is restricted to individuals presenting official state identification.
Ukraine war puts increasing strain on Russian fuel supplies
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Kremlin denies shortage
Critics on social media allege that authorities are downplaying the severity of the situation. Despite reports that nearly one‑third of Russia’s refineries are offline, the government has remained largely silent, observed Nina Ostanina, a member of the State Duma, on her Telegram channel.
“Why have the agriculture minister and deputy prime minister responsible for the sector remained silent ahead of the harvest?” Ostanina wrote. “The nation could face grain shortages, which, under international sanctions, would amount to a death sentence.”
Russian officials deny the existence of a systemic fuel shortage, attributing the turmoil to panic buying and speculative activity. Although overall fuel demand has risen by 20‑30 %, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak maintains that disruptions are confined to isolated stations and that sufficient supply exists, suggesting the issue can be addressed through restructuring.
Governors of Krasnodar, Irkutsk, and Pskov regions echo this stance, asserting that retailer behaviour has amplified public anxiety.
“People fear they will no longer be able to move freely, go to work, or care for their children,” Pskov Governor Mikhail Vedernikov wrote on the state‑backed messaging app Max. “Taxi drivers and small businesses are stockpiling fuel to protect income, while farmers worry about potential machinery failures that could jeopardise crops, further driving demand upward.”
Is Ukraine turning Russia’s size into a disadvantage?
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Putin’s approval ratings
Confidence in President Vladimir Putin appears to be eroding. A poll by the Russian Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), conducted between 19 and 21 June, showed his approval rating dip from 74 % to 69 %, marking the lowest level since the outset of Russia’s full‑scale war against Ukraine. Concurrently, public concern over the nation’s economic climate — particularly rising prices and living costs — is intensifying.
This shift in sentiment has not translated into demands for an immediate cessation of hostilities. In fact, a June Levada Center poll indicates growing support for the war in Ukraine, with 30 % of respondents expressing backing — a six‑point increase since March 2026.
Sixty percent of respondents now advocate for Russia to pursue peace negotiations — a decline of seven percentage points since February 2025. Levada Center analysts note that such a sustained reduction in support for peace talks has not been seen since a four‑month period in late 2023 and early 2024.
This article was originally published in Ukrainian.
