Published: 11:46 PM, 12 July 2026
Gas queues grow as Ukraine targets Russia's fuel supply
Line of vehicles at a Surgutneftegas gas station in Russia's Kaliningrad. -TASS
Attacks by Ukraine have triggered a fuel crisis in Russia. Reports from across Russia show how residents are dealing with the disruptions in their daily lives.
Drivers across Russia are waiting for hours to fill up at gas stations - and, in some regions, for days. As fuel shortages worsen, people are driving across entire cities in search of gas stations that are still open, spending the night in their cars and waiting for their chance to refuel. Tempers often flare, with scuffles breaking out among people waiting in line for gas.
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up drone strikes on Russia's oil refineries. On July 6, Ukrainian forces targeted the Omsk refinery, about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) from the border. Ukraine has now struck Russia's 10 largest oil refineries, from the Leningrad region to Omsk. The campaign has further deepened a fuel crisis that has spread across much of Russia, reports DW.
FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL:
People across region report that gas stations are closing. The few that still have fuel attract queues that stretch for miles. A woman who lives in Gelendzhik said she had been trying to fill up her car for three days. She arrived at a gas station at 5 a.m. and even spent the night in her car, but still couldn't buy any gasoline.
"It's literally a fight for survival," she said. She blames the situation not only on fuel shortages but also on resellers, who, she said, are buying up gasoline and selling it at inflated prices.
According to videos posted by witnesses on social media, the situation appears to be most severe in Chita, a city in Russia's Transbaikal region. There, drivers are reportedly waiting in line for up to 36 hours to buy fuel. Some run out of gas while waiting and are forced to push their cars. Social media users also claim that people are selling their places in line for as much as 35,000 rubles (€400/$460).
The fuel shortage is forcing many Russians to change their daily routines. Some are carpooling to run errands or take their children to school; others are switching to public transportation. After repeatedly failing to refuel her car, a resident of Irkutsk said she decided to rely on buses and taxis instead. But those services are also feeling the impact. The newspaper Kommersant reports that taxi drivers are working less frequently and are increasingly canceling longer trips and rides in major cities. The result has been an increase in fares.
Some residents of Russia's more rural regions are buying horses instead of cars. The Telegram channel Mash cited horse breeders in reporting that demand for workhorses has surged in recent weeks. The animals are being used for forestry work, haymaking and everyday farm tasks.
Demand for bicycles has also risen sharply. In June, bicycle sales on the online marketplace CDEK.Shopping increased by 131% compared with May ad revenue jumped 263%, the company told the Russian outlet Afisha. Bicycles are increasingly seen as an alternative to cars.
"Hooray! I'm officially a pedestrian now," one resident of Krasnodar wrote after she said she was unable to fill up her car because a local gas station was selling gasoline only to "special vehicles." According to the Russian independent outlet 7x7, that category also includes cars used by government officials. The outlet reports that its journalists documented cases in at least four regions where fuel was sold only to people with official government IDs.
KREMLIN DENIES SHORTAGE:
Some social media users accuse the authorities of downplaying the crisis. Though nearly one-third of Russia's oil refineries are reportedly out of operation, the government has remained largely silent, Nina Ostanina, a member of the Duma, the lower house of parliament, wrote on her Telegram channel.
"Why are the agriculture minister and the deputy prime minister responsible for the sector staying silent ahead of the harvest?" Ostanina wrote. "The country could be left without grain, which, under international sanctions, would amount to a death sentence."
National authorities deny that Russia is facing a systemic fuel shortage. They blame the crisis on panic buying and speculators. Though nationwide demand for fuel has risen 20-30%, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak insists that supply disruptions are limited to individual gas stations. He said there was enough fuel available and the problem could be resolved by restructuring.
Regional authorities are making similar arguments. The governors of the Krasnodar, Irkutsk and Pskov regions claim that retailers have fueled public panic.
"People fear they will no longer be able to get around normally, go to work or take care of their children," Pskov Governor Mikhail Vedernikov wrote on the state-backed messaging app Max. "Taxi drivers and small businesses are stocking up to avoid losing income. Farmers are worried about possible machinery failures and the resulting crop losses. All of this is driving demand higher."
PUTIN'S APPROVAL RATINGS:
Confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be waning. According to a poll by the Russian Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), conducted from June 19 to 21, his approval rating fell from 74% to 69% in the course of one week. That is the lowest level recorded since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. At the same time, concerns about the country's economic situation are growing, particularly wshen it comes to rising prices and the cost of living.
The shift in public sentiment does not appear to have translated into calls for an immediate end to the war. In fact, according to a poll released by the independent Levada Center in June, support for the Russia's war in Ukraine has increased. Thirty percent of respondents now say they support the war, six percentage points more than in March 2026.
Sixty percent of respondents say Russia should enter peace negotiations - down seven percentage points since February 2025. Sociologists at the Levada Center say a sustained decline in support for peace talks of this length was last observed over a four-month period in late 2023 and early 2024.
