Russian drivers face long gasoline lines as refinery strikes strain supply

Russian motorists are facing long waits, rationing and station closures as fuel shortages spread across parts of the country, according to Fortune. The shortages matter because they show how Ukraine’s drone campaign against Russian oil infrastructure is affecting civilians far from the front lines.

Energy analysts cited by Fortune estimate that Ukrainian strikes have knocked out at least a quarter of Russia’s refining capacity. Kommersant, the Russian newspaper, published a leaked letter to President Vladimir Putin in which the head of Russia’s largest oil company described damage to refineries as “unprecedented,” Fortune reported.

The disruptions have produced scenes of extended lines at filling stations. In Irkutsk, a Siberian city roughly 3,000 miles from Ukraine, local officials have promised portable toilets for drivers waiting along roads, according to Fortune.

Alyona Sadovnikova told The New York Times that she, her husband and their 18-month-old child joined a gas line at 11 p.m. on a recent Friday and did not fill up until 5 p.m. the following day. She said she used the gas station bathroom and bought snacks there, while other people waiting shared food and toys with her baby.

Sadovnikova, 26, told the Times she first noticed the shortage in mid-June, when a station would sell fuel only to people with ration coupons. “I was horrified: Are we in the Soviet Union now where you had to get coupons to buy sausage?” she told the newspaper.

Government says supply is under control

Putin has acknowledged fuel supply problems but has described Ukrainian attacks on oil facilities as “not critical,” Fortune reported. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the fuel market was “not easy, but controllable,” while Finance Minister Anton Siluanov denied that the situation had caused a jump in gasoline prices, according to Fortune.

The Kremlin has taken steps to keep more fuel inside the country. Fortune reported that Russia has banned exports of gasoline and jet fuel, and Reuters reported that Russia has bought gasoline from India, despite Russia being among the world’s major oil producers.

Fortune reported that prices are rising, fights have broken out among drivers waiting for fuel and some stations have closed. In Krasnodar, a local official said at least one-third of gas stations had shut down, according to Fortune.

Crimea faces tighter restrictions

The shortage has hit Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia illegally annexed in 2014, particularly hard, Fortune reported. Authorities there said fuel would be reserved largely for municipal and emergency services, with public sales halted unless extra supplies were available.

Crimea is also dealing with power outages and water shortages, according to Fortune. The region has long been a summer destination for Russian tourists, but Fortune reported that people are now leaving as panic spreads.

The Russian-backed leader of Crimea warned on social media that “large volumes of fuel won’t be for sale in the immediate future,” Fortune reported.

Ukraine continued targeting Russian oil infrastructure on Saturday, striking an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, according to Fortune. The same facility had been targeted in June during Putin’s major economic conference, Fortune reported.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.