The problem of gasoline availability has worsened in Volgograd

In Volgograd, more than half of the gas stations are closed, and long lines are forming at all the open gas stations. Authorities insist that fuel supplies are timely and sufficient, and the crisis is caused by "artificial hype."

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on June 30, the three largest gas station networks in Volgograd raised prices not only for gasoline and diesel fuel but also for gas; meanwhile, officials stated that the situation is stable and fuel reserves in the region are sufficient. By July 3, the previously closed gas stations in rural areas resumed operations, and the lines at gas stations became shorter, but in Volgograd, the queue problem remained.

During the past weekend, there was a rush at gas stations in Volgograd, reported a resident of the Central District of Volgograd Olga Kitaeva on July 6. The survey is not representative and reflects only the private opinions of the respondents.

"Especially in the evening, long lines formed at gas stations. The longest one I saw was on Lenin Avenue near Mamaev Kurgan. It was about three kilometers long. Apparently, motorists bought up all the supplies over the weekend, and now (on Monday) there is no gasoline anywhere. Gas stations are either closed or only selling diesel fuel," Olga told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

According to Kitaeva, fuel prices have not changed in the past three days, but only expensive grades of gasoline are available. "There is practically no 92-octane gasoline anywhere," she added.

Public figure and politician Ilya Kravchenko (listed by the Ministry of Justice as a foreign agent) believes that two-thirds of gas stations in Volgograd have closed. "At half of the remaining gas stations, there are wild queues, and at the other half, only diesel is sold," he said.

The head of the Jewish community of Volgograd Yael Ioffe reported that she returned from a trip to Moscow over the weekend. According to Yael, there were no problems refueling with gasoline on federal highways.

"On the M4 highway last week, the situation was quite normal. Some gas stations were closed, but 'Gazprom', 'Lukoil', and 'Rosneft' operated with varying degrees of load. I refueled on the highway before entering Volgograd. Once in Volgograd, I decided to top up. I made a significant detour. What did I see? I found what seemed to be an open gas station - at an inflated price, it seems at VIPOIL. There was only 95-octane gasoline. I drove around for an hour and a half in the Central, Voroshilov, and Dzerzhinsky districts of the city. Diesel fuel is available everywhere. In some places, there was 95-octane gasoline over the weekend, but there was a shortage of 92-octane. The situation is worsening," Yael Ioffe told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

The woman confirmed the fact of the "Sunday rush." At the same time, Yael noted that on federal highways, far from the regional center, people are refueling in canisters despite the bans.

Volgograd historian Andrey Kudинов reported that some of his acquaintances from Volgograd went outside the city on the Moscow highway on Sunday and at the nearest gas stations, "where there was no control," filled fuel into canisters.

"For example, my acquaintance has about 20 such canisters. Everyone is afraid that there will soon be no gasoline at all in Volgograd," Kudинов told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

He also noted a pattern: during the day, there is usually no gasoline at gas stations, "you can't find it even with a searchlight," but in the evening, according to him, fuel trucks start arriving at gas stations, and by night, queues form at the stations.

"At some gas stations, the queues are a kilometer long, at others, shorter. On July 6, I stood for about half an hour, from 20:00 to 20:30. 'Lukoil' sells no more than 20 liters. 'Gazprom' - no more than 30 liters. Diesel is available everywhere. Sometimes gasoline is delivered during the day, but only to 'Lukoil' or 'Rosneft'. Queues form immediately," Kudинов said.

A resident of the district center Ilovlya Zhanna Kurilkova told the correspondent that she monitors the fuel situation in Volgograd using the internet map "Where is GAS" (Gdebenz.ru). By 23:00 Moscow time on July 6, according to her calculations, out of 71 gas stations in the regional center, 37 were closed, and information was missing or contradictory for another 9.

"That is, more than half of the gas stations in the city are closed and not selling gasoline. Some only sell diesel fuel. And literally everywhere where gasoline is available, queues are marked on the map. Fuel without significant queues is only available on the outskirts of the city, on federal highways. Soon people will rush there with canisters," Zhanna Kurilkova said.

The Committee for Industry and Energy of the Volgograd Region disseminated information that it continues to monitor the situation "in cooperation with the operational headquarters, the Federal Antimonopoly Service for the Volgograd Region."

"In the case of local changes in supply logistics, operational decisions are made jointly with fuel companies to ensure consumers with resources," the official statement from the committee says.

The leadership of the relevant committee assured the residents of Volgograd that the regional headquarters continues to monitor gas station prices around the clock. In case of price increases, officials from the regional government pass the information to the Federal Antimonopoly Service "to organize a check on the validity." The regional government reports on the regularity and timeliness of fuel supplies to Volgograd gas stations. The hype, according to officials, is of an artificial nature.