At least 62 subjects of the Russian Federation, as well as the annexed Crimea and the occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporozhye regions in the east and south of Ukraine, are currently reporting problems with a lack of fuel, the independent Russian portal Agency pointed out, which is referred to by the TASR news agency. In 14 regions, restrictions were introduced directly by local authorities, in other areas sales are regulated by gas stations themselves or suppliers.
Extensive limits
The British station BBC reminded that from Wednesday the authorities of the Kurgan region also began to regulate the sale of fuel. Motorists can fill up a maximum of 40 liters of gasoline and 80 liters of diesel per vehicle at gas stations in the villages there. At stations near highways, the petrol limit remains the same – 40 liters – but the maximum for diesel is 200 liters per car.
According to the Agency, restrictions on the sale of fuels were also introduced in the Republic of Adygea, the Yamal-Skonene Autonomous District (JNAO) and in the Lipetsk and Samara regions. In the Lipetsk region, refueling with A-92, A-95, and A-100 gasoline is limited to 30 liters per vehicle, while fuel can only be pumped directly into the tank. The sale of diesel fuel is not yet regulated there.
Dissemination of crisis measures
From Tuesday, various forms of limits on the sale of gasoline and diesel also apply in Penza, Omsk, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions. Even before that, according to available information, the issuance of gasoline in the annexed Crimea was completely stopped.
The tightening of the fuel sales regime comes after a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and other elements of the fuel infrastructure. They affected several facilities on the territory of Russia and raised concerns about supply shortages.
The authorities deny the shortage
However, the regional governments in the areas where the limits were introduced unanimously claim that there is no physical shortage of fuel on the market. They claim that these are precautionary measures in response to a surge in demand to prevent an artificially induced shortage. In some regions, they also banned refueling in canisters and other portable containers.
The governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov, called on residents not to panic and not to make gasoline the subject of stockpiling. He compared it to previous situations, when buckwheat began to be bought en masse in the country, while even a minor shortfall in supply is quickly perceived in Russia as a signal of a problem, and the media follow it as an indicator of market stability.
Appeals for saving
The governor of the Vladimir region, Alexander Avdeyev, addressed the public with a call to limit the use of passenger cars and refuel only in necessary cases. The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Alexander Novak, described the situation on the fuel market as difficult, but according to him still manageable. He emphasized that the priority is to ensure sufficient fuel supplies for farmers during harvest.
President Vladimir Putin also publicly commented on the development for the first time. He stated that the threats posed by the “Kiev regime” must be minimized. At the same time, he claimed that the ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure do not have the ability to change the situation on the front line, where, according to him, Russian troops are advancing and gaining control of other villages and territories.
