July 29, 2026

Out of Gas?


Out of Gas?
The car passes by the bridge under Volgograd railway station. Sergei Karpov / @sergeykarpovphotographer

Cars are queuing at petrol stations after Ukraine's attacks on oil refineries in Moscow's led to fuel shortages across Russia. On June 26, Mediazona published a map showing which Russian regions were rationing gas the most and what restrictions had been put in place across the country.

According to Mediazona, 56 out of Russia's 83 regions are facing restrictions on fuel purchases. The newspaper has found two types of rations: those mandated by local authorities and those imposed by gas companies. In 18 regions, local officials have capped purchases at 30 liters (8 gallons) per car. In these regions, petrol stations are only allowed to fill car tanks, not cans. In 38 regions, gas stations are limiting fuel sales. Thirty-one Russian regions, including Moscow, currently have no restrictions on gas sales.

The petroleum corporation Lukoil has capped refueling in Belgorod, the Chuvash Republic, Sverdlovsk, Perm, and Kaluga. Tatneft has also imposed restrictions on the Udmurt Republic, Orenburg, and St. Petersburg, among other regions. Rosneft, Gazprom, and Neftehimprom have also limited gas sales in different parts of Russia. In Karelia, 20 gas stations have suspended operations.

Dagestan has imposed limits of 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of gasoline and 50 liters (13.2 gallons) of diesel per person. In Bryansk and Kursk, petrol stations are barred from dispensing oil into cans. Saratov introduced a cap of only 30 liters (8 gallons) of fuel per car for ordinary drivers that will extend until June 30. In Lipetsk, Governor Igor Artamonov extended previous restrictions on refuelings to prevent a "new sharp washout of fuel from gas stations." In Zabaikalsky Krai, authorities declared a "high alert mode," allowing only 15 liters (4 gallons) of oil per car.

The hardest hit by fuel restrictions have been illegally annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, as Ukrainian strikes have all but made resupplying the peninsula with petrol impossible. Since June 21, Russian authorities have imposed a complete ban on fuel sales to the public there. Emergency services, police, municipal workers, and public transit are the only ones allowed to fill their tanks. On June 26, Russian officials declared a state of emergency in Crimea and Sevastopol "to bring order to matters of an economic nature."

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