Oil refinery strikes worsen Russia’s fuel crisis, pushing prices to historic highs
Miles-long queues of drivers waiting for fuel have formed on Russia's M-12 Moscow-Kazan federal motorway. The country's fuel crisis has worsened following a series of drone attacks on its oil refineries.
A woman filmed the situation and posted images online, showing hundreds of cars stranded. She reported there is a petrol station only every 150km (93 miles) along the route, with average queues stretching up to 2km.
"The M-12 Moscow-Kazan Federal Motorway is a toll road. There is one petrol station every 150km, and each station has lines of cars 1.5-2km long," the author of the video, published by the ЧТД (ChTD) channel, said. The woman also emphasised the complete lack of infrastructure along the road, noting there are no cafes, shops, or public restrooms. "You can't get a drink, something to eat, or buy anything. There is obviously nowhere to go to the toilet – people just have to go in the field," the driver reported. The station reportedly has only two operational pumps: one for diesel and one for Ai-95 petrol.
In September, petrol production fell by 1 million tonnes, and according to Reuters, the oil industry lost about 17% of its refining capacity in August alone. By the end of September, a record 38% of processing capacity (around 338 thousand tonnes per day) was non-operational. Wholesale petrol prices have increased by 40% to 50% since the start of the year, reaching historic highs, The Moscow Times notes.
The issue is most acutely felt in regions where the deficit was already chronic—in the Russian Far East and in annexed Crimea. Since the end of September, restrictions on retail sales have been introduced there: a maximum of 30 litres per person. Limits in other regions of Russia are stricter, ranging from 10 to 20 litres.
According to the analytical company "OMT-Consult," 360 petrol stations were shut down between the end of July and the end of September—that is, 2.6% of the total. Most closures were recorded in the Southern Federal District, where over 220 stations (14.2%) have stopped selling fuel. In the Rostov region, the Mari El Republic, and the Jewish Autonomous Region, the number of functional stations fell by 12-14%. In Crimea and Sevastopol, approximately half of all filling stations have halted sales due to supply issues.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
