Russia has been subjected to many months of a ramped-up long-range drone campaign out of Ukraine, chiefly targeting oil refineries as well as industrial sites. On August 17, one of the single biggest drone waves of the war occurred in Moscow, with at least 600 drones sent against the capital region, resulting in widespread panic and some casualties.
Making matters worse for the Russian population, several gas station networks have introduced new restrictions on fuel sales — which is a rarity for the capital. Gazprom Neft and Tatneft have confirmed via representatives and their customer service lines that limits have now been placed on petrol sales at Moscow filling stations.
Long lines of cars have been observed at filling stations in and around the capital city, with a customer hotline operator at Gazprom Neft stating that gasoline and diesel sales at the company's automated filling stations in Moscow were limited to 40 liters (10 gallons) per customer.
At Gazprom Neft's other filling stations, diesel sales remain unrestricted, while gasoline purchases are capped at 60 liters per vehicle.
Rosneft, Russia's largest oil producer, stated that gasoline sales at all its filling stations across Russia were limited to 30 liters per vehicle (about 8 gallons), while diesel sales faced no restrictions.
These companies have also been warning customers to be prepared for longer waiting times for fill-up due to heightened demand. One reason being offered by Russian energy giants for the delays is "unscheduled refinery maintenance" — a vague but obvious reference to damage left in the wake of Ukraine's constant drone attacks on the nation's oil and refining infrastructure.
As for the latest attacks, it has been widely reported that Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a residential building in the republic of Bashkortostan, confirmed by regional head Radiy Khabirov.
Frustration returns at the pumps... Russia’s fuel crisis is back—and so are the queues.
