The fuel situation in Russia is getting worse: queues at gas stations, problems in agriculture and traffic. There are disputes within the power apparatus about the course.
July 2, 2026, 2:12 p.mJuly 2, 2026, 2:12 p.m
Julian Seiferth / t-online
The Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and tank farms are increasingly having an impact – not only on the front, but also deep in everyday Russian life. What the Kremlin long presented as a manageable problem is turning into a nationwide fuel crisis that is putting strains on the economy, agriculture and consumers alike.
Around two thirds of Russian regions are now reporting fuel supply problems. The Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia, is particularly affected. The authorities there declared a state of emergency, restricted the sale of fuel and suspended tourism until the beginning of September. But there have long been bottlenecks in regions far away from Ukraine, such as Siberia.
There are long queues at many gas stations. Drivers exchange information on social networks about where gasoline is still available. Videos show arguments and fights at gas pumps. According to the Russian portal iPhones.ru, the number of searches for instructions on how to evacuate fuel on the search engine Yandex increased more than tenfold within a month.
The concern is particularly great in agricultural regions. Farmers report that they can hardly afford fuel for harvesting work. A farmer is said to have even driven his combine harvester to a public gas station because he was forbidden from filling canisters.
Russia has to import fuel
President Vladimir Putin has now publicly acknowledged the problems. The attacks on the energy infrastructure “of course caused problems,” he said. However, a fuel deficit is “not critical”. At the same time, he promised measures to ensure supplies for agriculture in particular. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Nowak said the government was working on a solution.
In fact, Russia now has to import gasoline itself – even though the country is one of the world’s largest oil producers. According to Reuters, deliveries from India are already arriving by sea. Kazakhstan also announced that it would supply Russia with a total of 50,000 tons of fuel in July and August.
According to experts, this is also because Ukraine is specifically attacking refinery plants that Russia has difficulty replacing or repairing. “The amount of gasoline available in Russia is currently being determined by a race between Ukrainian drones and Russian repair teams,” writes Carnegie Endowment energy expert Sergei Wakulenko. If Ukraine succeeds in keeping up the pace of attacks, the advantage will increasingly shift to its favor.
Inflation and the economy are coming under pressure
The fuel shortage is now also affecting the overall economy. Rising fuel prices drive inflation and increase costs for companies. The Russian central bank recently warned of additional inflation risks. That’s why it only cautiously lowered its key interest rate to 14.25 percent in June – significantly less than parts of the economy had demanded.
An open dispute has broken out within the Russian leadership about this. Central Bank chief Elwira Nabiullina rejects rapid interest rate cuts and warns of a new wave of inflation. Sberbank boss German Gref, on the other hand, is calling for significantly lower interest rates to support the economy.
Elwira Nabiullina pushes for an end to the war.Image: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
However, both see the same cause for the growing economic problems: the war against Ukraine. Gref told a shareholder meeting that no one in the country wanted anything more than a quick end to the fighting. Nabiullina, in turn, reportedly offered to resign shortly after the start of the war.
The population suffers from the bottlenecks
The consequences of the fuel crisis are now also affecting the population directly. In the Transbaikalia region on the border with China and Mongolia, bus services were canceled due to a lack of fuel. In several districts, a waste disposal company temporarily stopped collecting garbage.
Many Russians are also worried about rising food prices. Surveys suggest that even before the recent deterioration of the situation, economic sentiment was worse than it had been in around 20 years. If the Ukrainian attacks continue and the supply crisis persists, the economic pressure on the Kremlin could continue to grow – and with it the burden on the Russian population.
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