Russia’s fuel crisis spreads as gasoline runs out in major port city

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have triggered a severe and widening fuel crisis across the country, with gasoline disappearing entirely from stations in some cities and rationing now in effect in nearly every region as Moscow scrambles to contain one of the most visible domestic consequences of the war in Ukraine.

A Country Running on Empty

On July 3, all gas stations in Novorossiysk, a major port city on the Black Sea, ran out of gasoline entirely, with only diesel remaining available, according to the city's Municipal Management Center. The shortage in that city began on June 10. In Zabaykalsky Krai in Siberia, drivers have been photographed waiting in lines stretching for kilometers. Even Moscow, the capital, is seeing long queues at petrol stations as a refinery there was struck repeatedly by drones in recent weeks.wsj+2

About a third of Russia's oil refining capacity has been knocked offline, according to Chris Weafer, CEO of Macro-Advisory Ltd. An AP count documented more than 50 Ukrainian attacks on refineries, depots, and other energy infrastructure since March. By early July, fuel sales restrictions had been introduced in nearly all of Russia's regions, according to independent Russian outlet Zona Media, which mapped rationing across 56 regions.euronews+2

Emergency Measures and Spillover

Russia has responded with a cascade of emergency measures. Fuel rationing limits drivers to 20–30 litres per vehicle in many regions, with sales into jerry cans banned. A total ban on gasoline exports remains in force through at least July 31. On July 2, a government decree signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin authorized refineries to produce lower-quality Euro-3 gasoline — banned since 2016 — through the end of the year. Russia has also imported 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes of gasoline from India, with plans to bring in 400,000 tonnes monthly from various countries, according to Reuters.aljazeera+4

The crisis is now spilling beyond Russia's borders. On July 2, Kyrgyzstan — which imports more than 90 percent of its gasoline from Russia — formally asked Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to help ensure stable fuel supplies.reuters+1

Political Fallout and Agricultural Damage

Russia's 2026 harvest is running one to two weeks behind last year's pace, with only about a third of the area harvested by July 1 compared to the same date in 2025, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported. The fuel shortage has compounded weather-related delays across the country's grain belt.reuters+2

Meanwhile, State Duma deputy Nina Ostanina, chair of the parliament's family protection committee, accused the government on July 2 of concealing the true scale of the crisis, saying nearly a third of refineries are out of commission — a fact she claimed ministers have refused to acknowledge.meduza+1

President Vladimir Putin conceded in late June that Russia faces fuel shortages but insisted the situation is "not critical" and that "all damaged facilities are being restored quite quickly". For millions of Russians unable to fill their tanks, the reassurance rings hollow.cnbc