Officials in southern Russian city urge residents to avoid driving amid fuel shortage
Sochi authorities have urged residents and tourists to avoid traveling by personal car amid a fuel shortage, saying the measure would help “reduce the burden on gas stations and speed up a return to normal operations,” the city administration stated.
Authorities warned that if lines form at gas stations, drivers must follow traffic rules.
The city issued the appeal after a meeting on the fuel situation. Officials said major gas station operators have limited fuel dispensing “due to logistical disruptions,” and that some stations have restricted gasoline sales to individuals “due to a resulting rush.”
The Sochi-based news outlet Sochi1.ru reports that the city has faced fuel shortages for a third straight day, with hours-long lines at gas stations creating traffic jams on city streets. Some tourists have been unable to leave for home because of the gasoline shortage.
Russia’s fuel crisis has worsened due to Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities. On August 8, Ukrainian drones attacked the Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar region.
The peak of the fuel crisis fell in June and early July. Russian regions introduced various restrictions on gasoline sales, and people were forced to stand in hours-long lines at gas stations. After Ukraine shifted its strikes from refineries to warehouses of the Wildberries marketplace, regions began lifting fuel sale restrictions.
However, in recent days active strikes on refineries have resumed. According to estimates from the outlet 7×7, residents of at least 15 regions have once again faced hours-long lines and shortages of 92 and 95 octane gasoline at gas stations.
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