23:27, 6 July 2026

The fuel crisis in southern Russia has led to fines and refusals of benefits for drivers.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing fuel shortage, the authorities of Astrakhan have halved the fuel consumption of government agencies, the number of advertisements for the sale of gas stations has increased in the Stavropol region, and in the Rostov region, "New People" demand the cancellation of fines for drivers forced to wait in line for gasoline in designated lanes.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 5, fuel was sold at 48% of gas stations in the Krasnodar region, the range of fuel types was limited, and quotas continued to be in effect. Residents of Rostov-on-Don and North Ossetia complained about long waits in line. The influx of tourists heading by car to the Black Sea in the peak season exacerbated the queue problem at gas stations in southern Russia.

The fuel problem arose against the backdrop of attacks on oil refineries, including those located in southern Russia. For instance, on June 10, a fire occurred at a refinery in the village of Afipsky. On June 5, an oil depot in Ust-Labinsk caught fire, requiring the evacuation of residents from nearby houses. On June 2, a fire broke out at an oil refinery in the village of Ilsky in the Seversky district as a result of a drone attack. The fire was extinguished the same day.

In resort towns of Krasnodar Krai, restrictions at gas stations remain - from 20 to 90 liters per vehicle depending on the city and type of fuel. For example, in Gelendzhik, out of eight operating gas stations, AI-95 gasoline is available at only two. In Novorossiysk, fuel can be purchased at 17 gas stations, AI-95 at 10, and one station has switched to sales only by fuel cards. In Anapa, nine out of 26 gas stations serve only special transport and cardholders, and sales in canisters are banned everywhere. In Sochi, 50 gas stations are operating, some only by cards, reports "Bloknot-Krasnodar".

In Khadyzhensk and Apsheronsk, by evening, gasoline ran out at "Rosneft" and "Lukoil" gas stations, writes the Telegram channel "Typical Apsheronsk".

Amid the acute crisis in Krasnodar Krai, the situation with gasoline in Abkhazia has normalized, a source familiar with the situation told "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity. "At first, when this crisis began, there was a panic, and a limit of 20 liters per car was introduced. Now everything has stabilized, but it is unclear what will happen with gasoline supplies in the future," he noted.

Conflicts over the right to priority service have also increased in Kuban. Disabled persons of groups I and II, as well as disabled children and their accompanying persons, have the right to it under a presidential decree from 1992, regardless of the presence of a "Disabled" sign on the vehicle. Several incidents of refusal of benefits have already been publicized in Krasnodar and Anapa. Organizations face fines of up to 500,000 rubles for violations, writes 93.ru.

In Rostov-on-Don, the local branch of the "New People" party demanded the cancellation of fines for drivers who entered designated lanes during fuel queues. One of them received a fine of 1,700 rubles for standing at a gas station on Stachki Avenue. The party is preparing appeals to the traffic police demanding a review of penalties for specific dates and addresses, reports "Bloknot-Rostov".

At the same time, the Federal Antimonopoly Service has begun checking six fuel sellers in the region, including the Volgodonsk LLC "Aist", due to complaints about price gouging. In June, the average fuel price in the Don region rose from 69 to 74 rubles per liter, reports the Telegram channel "Che po Rostovu".

The governor of Stavropol Krai, Vladimir Vladimirov, spoke out against restrictions on fuel sales at today's meeting. "We did not impose restrictions. We are against them. A person stops here, fills up 20 liters, goes to the next queue, and fills up 20 liters," he said. Political scientist Andrey Gusy disagrees with him: in his opinion, lifting restrictions will immediately lead to people with canisters and accelerate the depletion of supplies. The regional authorities have additionally supplied almost 18,000 liters of diesel fuel, AI-92, and AI-95, writes "Bloknot-Stavropol".

At the same time, dozens of advertisements for the sale of gas stations have appeared on the regional market: mini-stations are offered from 210,000 rubles, full-fledged gas stations in the Ipatovsky and Predgorny districts - for 10.5–13 million rubles. Some advertisements are marked as urgent, reports NewsTracker.

The authorities of Astrakhan Region have today mandated all regional government structures to halve their fuel consumption, directing the released fuel for the needs of residents. The daily supply limit at "Lukoil" and "Gazprom" gas stations from oil storage facilities has also been increased.

Governor Igor Babushkin stated on his Telegram channel that the fuel reserve in the region is about 10 days and corresponds to last year's level, but suppliers are forced to limit sales due to panic demand. Traffic police inspectors will be on duty at gas stations, and farmers have been switched to separate supplies through the Ministry of Agriculture, reports "Interfax-South".

In Volgograd, no new restrictions on fuel sales have been introduced: "Lukoil" and Teboil maintain a limit of 20 liters per transaction, while "Gazprom" has a limit of 30 liters, writes "Bloknot-Volgograd". However, queues at gas stations have increased in the last two days, which the regional industry committee has acknowledged: the agency claims that supplies are regular, and the problems are caused only by fluctuations in demand.

Translated automatically via OpenAI from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/424719