---
title: "Fuel Crisis in Russia: Queues at Gas Stations and 'Strange' Explanations from Authorities"
description: "Russia has acknowledged a fuel shortage but explained it as a drop in demand, even though queues at gas stations are growing. The real reason is strikes on refineries. 🇷🇺⛽🔥"
date: 2026-06-26T10:14:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/fuel-crisis-in-russia-queues-at-gas-stations-and-strange-explanations-from-authorities
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Fuel Crisis in Russia: Queues at Gas Stations and 'Strange' Explanations from Authorities

![Long queue of cars at a Gazprom Neft gas station illustrating the fuel crisis in Russia](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/26/toplivnyj-krizis-v-rossii-ocheredi-na-azs-i-strannye-obyasneniya-vlastej/toplivnyj-krizis-v-rossii-ocheredi-na-azs-i-strannye-obyasneniya-vlastej-1.webp)

In several regions of Russia, an acute shortage of fuel has emerged, forcing local authorities to officially acknowledge the problem. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that official explanations for the reasons behind the deficit sound extremely contradictory against the backdrop of real events at gas stations.

### Deficit in the Tomsk Region

In the Tomsk region, the situation has reached a critical point. A fuel shortage has been officially recorded in four districts at once: Kolpashevsky, Asinovsky, Zyrinsky, and Teguldetsky. Gas stations in these municipalities are practically empty, leading to traffic jams and panic among drivers.

Regional officials attempted to calm the population, assuring them that fuel reserves would be replenished in the near future. However, their argumentation causes bewilderment: representatives of the authorities stated that retail sales of gasoline fell by 15% over the last week. This creates a paradoxical picture: demand allegedly decreased, but there is no fuel in the tanks.

### Reality vs. Official Rhetoric

While officials talk about sales statistics and "increased demand," photos and videos of "mad" queues at gas stations appear in social networks and pro-Russian public pages. Such a situation is observed not only in the Tomsk region but is also recorded in many other regions of the country.

Experts and independent observers point to the real cause of supply disruptions, which the authorities prefer not to publicize. The critical fuel shortage is linked to strikes on Russian oil refineries, which led to disruptions in logistics chains and supply failures across the country.

### Context of the Military Operation

Fuel problems in Russia are developing against the backdrop of the active work of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU recently struck three important Russian ships in Crimea and also hit air defense objects on the occupied peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a plan for a 40-day SBU operation covering several strategic directions. These actions directly affect the enemy's infrastructure, including the energy sector, which ultimately affects the availability of gasoline for citizens.