Russia Punishes Fuel Shortage Protesters as Fuel Crisis Worsens

Russians are facing punishment for publicly complaining about gasoline shortages as fuel supplies remain strained across the country.On July 16, five residents of Volgograd recorded a video petition to Russian Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin, describing the gasoline shortage in the city.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.According to the Russian outlet V1.ru, the residents asked authorities to address reports that city administration officials were using fuel cards to fill their vehicles while ordinary residents faced restrictions on gasoline purchases.Police classified the recording of the video as an “unauthorized public event” and detained all five participants.One of them, lawyer Alexei Sevastyanov, was sentenced to five days in detention for allegedly resisting police. Another participant was fined 10,000 rubles (about $118) for taking part in what authorities classified as a mass protest.A similar case was reported in Perm, where resident Lev Samolovskikh was fined 10,000 rubles (about $118) for holding a rally and publicly “expressing his opinion on the shortage of retail fuel.”Samolovskikh had notified the city administration of his intention to organize the protest and promoted it in a Telegram channel with 44 subscribers. Authorities nevertheless charged him with “illegal campaigning.”New gasoline shortages as refinery disruptions deepenThe cases come as a new wave of gasoline shortages is spreading across Russia, with authorities in at least 10 regions tightening controls on fuel sales following a series of drone attacks on oil refineries, Reuters reported on Monday. Other Topics of Interest 5 Years Back in Power, the Taliban Has Russia in Its Pocket and Now Eyes the US Five years after the Taliban returned to power amid America’s disastrous withdrawal, Afghanistan’s rulers are rebuilding foreign ties, deepening cooperation with Russia and inviting Washington back. This time, without the soldiers. Gasoline was unavailable at some filling stations in the Moscow region, although diesel remained available at almost all stations, according to Reuters.The shortages follow a fuel crisis that intensified in May and spread to almost all Russian regions by July. The situation briefly improved at the end of July after the government introduced measures to increase domestic supplies, including a ban on gasoline and diesel exports, lower quality requirements for some petroleum products and increased imports.However, fuel supplies have again come under pressure following a new wave of drone attacks on Russian refineries in late July and early August.At least 10 regions affectedRussian energy officials discussed fuel supplies in at least 10 regions, including Orenburg, Lipetsk, Tver, Krasnodar, Zabaykalsky, Primorsky, Krasnoyarsk, Oryol, Tuva, and Khakassia.Authorities have reintroduced or tightened restrictions on fuel sales in some areas. Officials said Friday that supplies to filling stations remained difficult in several parts of the country.The latest disruptions are compounded by refinery shutdowns and seasonal demand, which typically increases during the summer.The renewed shortages are also reflected in wholesale market data. Gasoline sales on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange have fallen by an average of 20% since the beginning of August compared with the second half of July, according to exchange data.Refinery shutdowns deepen pressureAccording to an S&P Global analysis, at least 26 Russian refineries were shut down, seven of which had not resumed operations by the end of July. Four additional refineries were shut down in August.EA Analytics estimated that Russian oil refining fell to 3.6 million barrels per day, its lowest level since May 2002.By early August, refining volumes had recovered to just over 4 million barrels per day, but Rystad analysts said the figure remained about 30% below the seasonal norm.The government’s efforts to compensate for refinery disruptions had helped stabilize the market temporarily, but the latest restrictions suggest that Russia’s fuel supply remains vulnerable to further attacks and refinery outages.The situation could deteriorate further in the coming weeks.According to sources cited by Kommersant, Russia’s fuel crisis could reach another peak by early September, when Belarus’ Novopolotsk refinery – one of two Belarusian refineries supplying the Russian market – is scheduled to undergo maintenance.Several large Russian refineries are also expected to undergo scheduled maintenance around the same period, potentially adding further pressure to already strained domestic supplies.The Russian government has not indicated how long the latest fuel restrictions will remain in place. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.