Putin’s Gasoline Crisis Spreads: Sales Now Restricted in 4 Regions

A fourth Russian region has imposed restrictions on gasoline sales per customer, as fuel shortages continue to spread across the country.

According to Russian media, sales limits already introduced in annexed Crimea and the Chelyabinsk region have now reached the Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions.

For instance, the N-1 gas station chain in Tyumen has capped sales at 30 liters of 92- or 95-octane gasoline per customer.

“Indeed, our restriction has been in effect since Oct. 7. We do not fill a single vehicle with more than 30 liters of AI-92 or AI-95,” the hotline confirmed to Russian outlet Ura.ru.

N-1 assured that there is no fuel shortage, saying the measure is meant to discourage bulk purchases by canister.

Restrictions also affected TPK gas stations, where AI-95 gasoline is now sold only with fuel cards.

“How long this rule will remain in effect is unclear. The reason is a shortage of a certain type of fuel,” the company reported.

The news outlet 66.ru reported similar limits in the Sverdlovsk region, where several chains – including Lukoil, Bashneft, Tamic Energy, and Varta – have stopped filling canisters or introduced caps of 30 liters per car.

Residents say some gas stations have run out entirely.

“There is no 95 gasoline at all; a limit of 20 liters per car has been introduced,” one customer shared.

Gasoline shortages have also been recorded in the Novosibirsk region, where the Prime gas station chain announced a suspension of AI-92 sales “due to the cessation of shipments from oil refineries.”

Prices are climbing rapidly. At Tatneft stations, AI-92 gasoline rose by three rubles in two days – from 59.5 ($0.61) to 62.5 ($0.64) rubles per liter.

That’s roughly $2.30 to $2.42 per US gallon – still lower than Western prices, but rising fast by Russian petrostate standards.

Last week, similar restrictions were introduced in the Chelyabinsk region following fuel supply disruptions caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Since Oct. 3, Tamic Energy stations there have limited customers to 30 liters of gasoline and 70 liters of diesel per car per day, while Crimea reduced its cap to 20 liters.

Ukrainian drone attacks have severely damaged Russia’s oil refining sector, knocking out nearly 40% of the country’s capacity and causing its worst fuel shortage in decades.

By late September, around 338,000 tons of daily refining capacity – roughly 38% of total output – was offline, leaving the domestic market short of about 20% of demand, according to data from market intelligence agency Seala cited by RBC.

Since August, more than two dozen refineries have been hit, with about 70% of shutdowns directly caused by drone strikes, Seala said.

Major plants – including the Kinef refinery near St. Petersburg and Rosneft’s Ryazan refinery – were forced to halt operations in September, worsening the nationwide crisis.

Fuel shortages now span over 20 regions, with Crimea and the Far East hit hardest and sales limits of 20 to 30 liters per car imposed at gas stations.

“Repairs could take months,” economist Vladislav Inozemtsev told The Moscow Times, noting that sanctions prevent Russia from sourcing Western equipment for repairs, and Chinese substitutes are inadequate.

To contain the crisis, the Kremlin has banned gasoline exports until year-end and dropped import duties – measures unlikely to ease shortages quickly.

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