{"id":1050241,"date":"2026-06-26T00:35:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T00:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1050241\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T00:35:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T00:35:23","slug":"regions-calling-as-fuel-crisis-widens-russias-regions-brace-for-the-worst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1050241\/","title":{"rendered":"Regions Calling: As Fuel Crisis Widens, Russia&#8217;s Regions Brace for the Worst"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hello and welcome to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/all-about\/regions-calling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Regions Calling<\/a>, your guide to developments from beyond the Russian capital by The Moscow Times.<\/p>\n<p>This week, we are looking at how fuel shortages triggered by Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and supply networks have begun to transform the lives of people across Russia\u2019s regions \u2014 and what long-term impacts of the disruption are yet to be seen.<\/p>\n<p>But first, the latest news:<\/p>\n<p>The Headlines<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A major landfill fire in the Far East <strong>republic of Sakha (Yakutia) <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/Baikal_People\/15130\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>burned<\/strong><\/a> for a week, blanketing the regional capital Yakutsk in smog and hazardous air pollution.The blaze was likely caused by chronic overcapacity at the landfill, where waste volumes had long exceeded safe limits, <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/Baikal_People\/15130\" rel=\"nofollow\">according<\/a> to local environmental expert Yekaterina Sivtseva.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">In the<strong> <\/strong>North Caucasus republic of <strong>Kabardino-Balkaria<\/strong>, local activists <a href=\"https:\/\/zapravakbr.ru\/kollektivnoe-zayavlenie-k-glave-i-deputatam-kbr-protiv-trebovaniya-prokuratury\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">asked<\/a> the region\u2019s head Kazbek Kokov and parliament members to oppose constitutional amendments pushed for by local Prosecutor Nikolai Khabarov.\u00a0Earlier this month, Khabarov called for removing five clauses from the republic\u2019s constitution, including guarantees of its territorial integrity and statehood.\n<p>The republic\u2019s parliament is due to consider the changes later this year. If adopted, Russia\u2019s federal government in Moscow will be legally allowed to redraw the borders of the republic or merge it with any of the neighboring regions, local activists warn.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A military court in Moscow on Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/russicaRU\/68847\" rel=\"nofollow\">ordered<\/a> the pre-trial arrest of Wisam Ali Bardwil, the former head mufti of <strong>the republic of Karelia<\/strong> and chairman of the Union of Islamic Organizations of Russia.\u00a0Bardwil was initially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2026\/05\/22\/arrests-of-clerics-highlight-fractures-in-russias-muslim-leadership-a92822\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">arrested<\/a> in Moscow\u2019s Sheremetyevo Airport in May. Authorities then claimed that he refused a police request to show his ID before attempting to flee the scene.\n<p>Before being sent to pre-trial detention this week, Bardwil was repeatedly subjected to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2025\/11\/18\/carousel-arrests-inside-russias-tactic-for-keeping-detainees-locked-up-a91150\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u201ccarousel arrests\u201d<\/a> \u2014 a repressive tactic in which authorities impose consecutive administrative arrests instead of launching full criminal proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>Though charges against Bardwil have not been publicized, the case is believed to be linked to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2026\/06\/17\/a-decades-old-split-in-russian-islam-risks-resurrecting-soviet-style-religious-control-a93028\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">escalating standoff <\/a>between Russia\u2019s two leading Islamic authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">In the <strong>Sverdlovsk region<\/strong> in the Ural Mountains, the small town of Kushva was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2026\/06\/23\/rare-tornado-hits-city-in-russias-ural-mountains-a93075\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hit<\/a> by a rare tornado on Tuesday, leveling dozens of homes and damaging nearly 100 others.\u00a0Videos shared on social media captured the funnel cloud moving through a populated area, while subsequent images revealed a landscape of uprooted trees, crushed vehicles and destroyed houses.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Animal rights activists in Siberia\u2019s <strong>Irkutsk region<\/strong> staged a <a href=\"https:\/\/vk.com\/wall-161042992_40769\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">protest<\/a> to urge the local governor against signing a bill that would allow for stray animals to be euthanized during states of emergency, instead calling for more humane population control measures like sterilization.\n<p>The bill, which was <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/horizontal_russia\/55760\" rel=\"nofollow\">passed<\/a> by the Irkutsk regional assembly earlier this month, would allow authorities to declare a state of emergency in response to dog attacks. Any animals captured during this period would be euthanized after 11 days if their owners don\u2019t come forward to claim them. Similar measures in other regions have also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2025\/03\/31\/public-outcry-across-russia-as-bill-to-euthanize-stray-animals-sparks-rare-protests-a88546\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sparked protests<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>As Fuel Rationing Spreads, Some Russians Fear the Worst Is Still to Come<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A fast-growing number of regional officials and gas station chains across Russia are restricting gasoline and diesel sales as Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries and supply networks take a mounting toll on supplies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fuel rationing measures were in place in at least 56 Russian regions as of Thursday, according to open-source data analyzed by The Moscow Times.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In dozens more regions, residents are complaining about fast-rising gasoline prices, closed filling stations and miles-long lines, while some local authorities and major retailers remain hesitant to enact rationing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn some districts of our republic, there is no fuel at gas stations right now, so people go to [the capital] Kyzyl to refuel,\u201d said a resident of <strong>Tyva<\/strong>, a southern Siberian republic roughly the size of Tunisia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gasoline prices in Tyva have risen by 9.2% between June 16 and June 22, reaching an average of 90.63 rubles ($1.21) per liter, the highest price in any of Russia\u2019s regions, <a href=\"https:\/\/rosstat.gov.ru\/storage\/mediabank\/97_24-06-2026.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according<\/a> to the latest weekly data from state statistics agency Rosstat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As of Thursday, Tyvan authorities and gas station chains have not introduced any purchase limits. The region\u2019s head Vladislav Khovalyg has not yet commented on the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Because there are no operating railways in Tyva, a vast region bordering Mongolia, all consumer goods and petroleum products have to be delivered by truck or plane.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For ordinary residents of one of Russia\u2019s poorest regions, rising gasoline prices mean that the cost of all basic goods \u2014 the majority of which are shipped in from elsewhere \u2014 will also keep increasing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur peak prices have already risen above all imaginable peaks. For four years now, we&#8217;ve been stocking up on everything, just in case. And it seems like it was all for today,\u201d the resident of Tyva told The Moscow Times, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe coming fall will probably be very hard,\u201d he added.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I won\u2019t even mention winter, I\u2019m afraid that famine will soon come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While some Tyvans said they seek out cheaper fuel, food and basic goods in the neighboring <strong>republic of <\/strong><strong>Khakassia<\/strong>, one resident of the region told The Moscow Times that their life, too, has been transformed by rising prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had to sell my car because of the rising gas prices,\u201d said the Khakassia resident, who requested anonymity. \u201cOf course, prices have increased for everything. We no longer buy processed meats, fruits or fish, which have become luxuries. We\u2026buy everything at discount stores \u2014 that\u2019s the only way [to survive].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of kilometers west in the <strong>Kursk region<\/strong>, residents of Ukraine-bordering districts <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/kurpepel\/8190\" rel=\"nofollow\">said<\/a> the gasoline rationing has made it impossible to use portable generators during frequent power outages caused by air raids.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Evacuating from these border districts during drone attacks has also become extremely challenging after local authorities <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/kurpepel\/7892\" rel=\"nofollow\">capped<\/a> gasoline sales at 20 liters (5.3 gallons) per car earlier this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nor have Russia\u2019s wealthier regions been spared by the fuel crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI, as a Russian citizen, think this is complete bulls**t,\u201d a resident of Raduzhnyi, an oil-producing town in the <strong>Khanty-Mansi autonomous district<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/Govorit_NeMoskva\/65439\" rel=\"nofollow\">told<\/a> independent news outlet Govorit NeMoskva. \u201cWe&#8217;re up to our ears in oil, the wells are being shut down because there&#8217;s nowhere to put the oil, yet there&#8217;s no gasoline.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Authorities in Khanty-Mansi, one of the largest oil-producing areas in the world, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kommersant.ru\/doc\/8763213\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">announced<\/a> restrictions on fuel sales at \u201ca number of gas stations\u201d across the region on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gasoline prices in the region stand at an average of 74.74 rubles ($1) per liter \u2014 4.94% higher than the national average, <a href=\"https:\/\/rosstat.gov.ru\/storage\/mediabank\/97_24-06-2026.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according<\/a> to Rosstat\u2019s latest report.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Sakhalin region<\/strong>, a major oil- and gas-producing hub that relies on maritime fuel shipments from mainland Russia, <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/sevkur_official\/12717\" rel=\"nofollow\">introduced<\/a> \u201cpreventive\u201d fuel rationing in the northern part of the <strong>Kuril Islands<\/strong> on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere has been an unreasonable rush among residents to purchase fuel at gas stations \u2014 fuel was being purchased in clearly excessive quantities,\u201d the Severo-Kurilsky district administration <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/sevkur_official\/12717\" rel=\"nofollow\">said<\/a> on Telegram.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese restrictions are not related to an actual fuel shortage\u2026The next fuel delivery is expected next week,\u201d it added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the <strong>republic of Tatarstan<\/strong>, home to Russia\u2019s fifth-largest oil producer Tatneft, authorities <a href=\"https:\/\/www.svoboda.org\/a\/na-zapravkah-v-tatarstane-vveli-limity-na-prodazhu-topliva-posle-ukrainskih-atak-na-mestnyy-npz\/33780078.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">introduced<\/a> fuel rationing measures following the June 12 Ukrainian attack on Tatneft\u2019s flagship Taneco refinery in the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The attack, which forced Tatneft to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2026\/06\/16\/tatneft-limits-gasoline-sales-following-ukrainian-drone-strike-on-its-refinery-a93026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">limit<\/a> gasoline and diesel purchases at its gas stations nationwide, sparked panic-buying at filling stations across the republic, according to reports by independent news outlets and social media users.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy sister calls me: \u2018Alsu, go get gas quickly.\u2019 I scrambled [to get out of the house] and haven&#8217;t even changed\u2026I work in real estate, friends. I need gasoline like air,\u201d one woman from Tatarstan <a href=\"https:\/\/smarturl.click\/We1p6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">recalled<\/a> in a video posted on social media.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite the reports emerging daily from across Russia, the scope of the ongoing fuel shortages is still smaller than that of the fall 2025 crisis and the situation remains \u201cnot that bad \u2014 if you discount serious shortages in the annexed Crimea,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/russia-eurasia\/politika\/2026\/06\/russia-new-refinery-strike\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a> Sergey Vakulenko of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe amount of gasoline available in Russia at the moment is determined by a race between Ukrainian drones and Russian repair teams. If the frequency of Ukrainian attacks can be maintained, and the damage from each attack increases, then the advantage swings toward Kyiv,\u201d said Vakulenko.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2026\/06\/24\/russian-government-weighs-total-ban-on-diesel-exports-a93086\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> Tuesday that the government is now weighing a full ban on diesel exports alongside existing restrictions on gasoline and jet fuel exports to stabilize the domestic market.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Though Novak appeared to downplay the growing number of fuel rationing measures across the country in his comments, some regional officials are expressing far less optimism about how the current crisis will develop.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tatarstan\u2019s Agriculture Minister Marat Zyabbarov advised local farmers to maintain a 10-day to two-week supply of fuel at all times \u201cto avoid stress\u201d during the harvesting season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Everyone can see the situation in the country clearly on television\u2026Of course, we got comfortable working with Tatneft and TAIF [refineries] \u2014 farms get fuel immediately [and] don&#8217;t keep large stockpiles, but they always need to have some 1782434123,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-gazeta.ru\/article\/704632\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> Zyabbarov.<\/p>\n<p>The Sakha, a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Russia&#8217;s republic of the same name, perform the ohuokhai circle dance during celebrations of yhy\u0430kh, the traditional summer solstice festival, in the region\u2019s northernmost Bulunsky ulus (district).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hello and welcome to\u00a0Regions Calling, your guide to developments from beyond the Russian capital by The Moscow Times.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1050242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[35,5437,12,26717,753,26],"class_list":["post-1050241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-energy","tag-gasoline","tag-news","tag-regions","tag-ukraine-war","tag-world"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116813609322660776","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1050241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1050242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1050241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1050241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1050241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}