39 hours in line for gas: One driver’s road trip through Russia’s fuel crisis

Since mid-June, Russian drivers have been spending hours — and even entire days — waiting in line at gas stations because of the fuel crisis. Vlad, a resident of Saint Petersburg, has been on the road for about a week, driving home with his wife from Vladivostok, where they bought a new car. In Chita, they stopped at a gas station to fill up. After 36 hours of waiting, Vlad posted a video about it on Instagram; the clip racked up thousands of likes and comments in which Russians vented their frustration over the fuel situation. The independent journalist cooperative Bereg spoke with Vlad about what it was like to wait in that line and what it looks like to travel across the country during a fuel crisis. In his view, the authorities are to blame for what is happening — not because they started the war with Ukraine, but because they are not “responding harshly enough.” Meduza is publishing the interview in full.

— Where are you coming from, and where are you headed?

— We traveled from Novosibirsk, where we’d flown to take care of some business and visit friends, to Vladivostok to pick up a car we’d bought. Once we had it, we set off on a road trip across Russia. First we’re heading back to Novosibirsk, and then we plan to visit the Altai Mountains, Kazan, Moscow, and from there return home to Saint Petersburg. We decided to treat ourselves to this vacation and get some rest. Or rather, we thought we’d get some rest.

— Did the fuel shortage change your plans?

— Of course it did. We had a hotel booked in the Altai Mountains for July 3, and we haven’t even left the Irkutsk region yet. We’re in a hurry because we still had things to take care of in Novosibirsk. But we’ll adapt — we’ll lose some time and money somewhere along the way.

— How did you spend 36 hours at a gas station in Chita?

— It turned out to be not 36 but 39 hours. We joined the line on June 28 at 11 p.m. At first it moved slowly, then it stopped altogether. We even managed to nap. I don’t know how many cars were ahead of us — maybe around a thousand. A lot. The gas station was 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) away, and on average we moved about 50 meters (164 feet) every 40 minutes.

There were moments when someone would let someone else in — supposedly they had saved a spot for them. Whether they were relatives or not, it was hard to tell. That happened pretty often. Maybe that’s part of why we ended up waiting so long.

We finally filled up on June 30 at around one or two in the afternoon.

— Where did you sleep, and where did you get food?

— We managed to rent a hotel room near the gas station. My wife and I took turns: one of us would go there to wash up, rest, charge our devices, and grab a bite to eat. The one who stayed in the car would slowly inch forward in the line.

— Did you try to find another gas station?

— When we saw the kilometer-long line at the Rosneft station on the very edge of town — the one we eventually joined — we decided to first drive around Chita and see if there was anything else. We drove around, asked around. It turned out that the city’s gas stations were only dispensing 15 liters (4 gallons) per car. They explained it by saying the supplier was delivering very little fuel — 500 liters (132 gallons) per station. Local residents had already mapped out all the lines in advance, figuring out who would go to which station and when.

The last station before Chita is in the city of Skovorodino [an 11-hour drive from Chita]. As far as I know, there are no gas stations between the two cities, so many people driving from Vladivostok westward make it to Chita and try to fill up at that very Rosneft station. The limit there was 50 liters (13 gallons). So we really didn’t have much choice but to wait in line.

— You’ve now made it to Tulun in the Irkutsk region. What’s the situation at gas stations in other cities — is it bad everywhere? What are gas station employees saying?

— The worst situation is in Chita itself. Before Chita there were no problems. After Chita there are lines, but short ones — maybe 15 to 20 minutes. We decided not to stop in Irkutsk: someone told me the situation there is the same as in Chita right now. To avoid getting stuck in another line, we decided to fill up before Tulun. There was still gas in the tank, but we wanted to top off so we’d have enough to get to Krasnoyarsk. What it’ll be like there — who knows.

— In your post, you say that some gas stations along your route had no fuel at all. How do you find out about that?

— We have a Telegram chat with drivers from different regions. I use it to check where lines are and where they aren’t. But often you just have to feel it out — you show up and check for yourself. Things change fast: there’s gas now, and 10 or 15 minutes later it’s gone. You just drive and try to fill up along the way.

— You mention that traffic police officers were stationed at the gas station in Chita because drivers, in your words, “could kill” each other. Did you have any conflicts with anyone? Did you witness arguments or fights between other drivers?

— There were no conflicts while I was there. Of course, many people were unhappy [with the situation in general], but as far as I know it never came to blows. I think if someone had tried to pull right up to the pump without waiting in line, there would have been a serious conflict between drivers.

Most of the drivers were reasonable people. We got to know each other, talked, helped each other out. After all, we spent two days together — we became friends. If someone went to the store for food and water, they might pick something up for others too. If someone needed cigarettes, someone else would go get them. Then people would transfer money to their card.

The traffic police officers kept things under control — good on them, they were all polite. If someone tried to cut in [without waiting in line], they would calmly explain: if you want to fill up, you have to wait in line.

— Were there people who ran out of gas right there in the line?

— Yes, that happened. Then people would push the car by hand.

— In your first video with the long line at the gas station, you added the song Everything Is Going According to Plan by Egor Letov. In the comments, some people saw it as sarcasm directed at the authorities. How do you actually explain the causes of the fuel crisis to yourself?

— I think our authorities are being far too soft. They need to respond [to Ukraine] more forcefully. Otherwise, before long no one will take us seriously. I hope they’ll reconsider their position and realize it’s time to stop playing games and start acting seriously.

— In your view, will the fuel crisis last long?

— Yes, of course, but everything will get sorted out. The big players will carve up the market, push the weak ones out of the game, and things will normalize.

— If the crisis does drag on, what will you do?

— I’ll use fuel as I can. For now the goal is to get to St. Petersburg, and there you don’t really need a car, because you can get anywhere by metro — no need to sit in traffic. The car will only be needed if we want to go somewhere outside the city, to relax.