Residents of Krasnodar, Anapa and the Temryuk district in Russia’s Krasnodar region are reporting widespread gasoline shortages at filling stations.
Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said there is no fuel shortage and described the situation as the result of “artificial panic buying.” At the same time, the Krasnodar regional operational headquarters attributed the problems to a sharp increase in demand and disruptions in the small wholesale purchasing system used by private gas stations.
According to local residents, many filling stations have run out of AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline. People say they are unable to find fuel either in Krasnodar or along the highway toward Novorossiysk. Gas station employees reportedly cannot say when supplies will be restored because they are not receiving responses from oil depots.
In the Temryuk district, some residents are reportedly attempting to buy gasoline through informal private sales.
On the evening of June 8, Russia’s Ministry of Energy acknowledged for the first time that “enemy air attacks” had caused temporary fuel supply difficulties in several southern regions of the country. The ministry also announced the creation of a special industry task force involving the largest energy companies.
According to available information, restrictions on gasoline purchases are currently in place in at least 15 Russian regions. Reports indicate that additional pressure on the Krasnodar region’s fuel market has been caused by the arrival of residents from occupied Crimea, who have also faced fuel shortages.
