Russian media have been reporting on a surge of conflicts at gas stations across the country. The fuel crisis, triggered by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, has forced people to wait for hours at gas stations. Some drivers try to cut the line, which has at times led to brawls. The situation is compounded by the fact that some stations have taken a liberal interpretation of the requirement to give priority to official vehicles. As a result, local officials in some regions have begun jumping the line, and in Chita, participants in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and their family members were added to the list of those exempt from waiting. All of this has fueled widespread public anger. Here are just a few of the regions where the fuel shortage has led to conflicts.
Irkutsk region
Vladimir Botoev, 36, drove up to a gas station in the settlement of Ust-Ordynsky, pushed to the front of the line, and began behaving aggressively. Customers who had already waited five hours for fuel turned to a police officer on duty at the station. The officer drew his gun — only then did Botoev return to his car and leave. He was later detained and faces criminal charges of insulting a police officer and using violence against one.
St. Petersburg
On June 30, a local resident pulled up to a free pump at a Rosneft gas station, only to have another driver demand he leave. The second driver, a taxi driver named Artush Muradyan, escalated the confrontation until the first man drew a pistol. Muradyan returned to his car — but grabbed a knife and attacked his opponent rather than leaving. He was charged with intentionally causing grievous bodily harm and placed under house arrest.
Kaliningrad
Local media reported July 2 that a brawl involving three local women broke out at a Teboil station. A day later, a similar incident surfaced on social media: two women got into a fight over who had the right to pull up to a pump first, and station attendants and other drivers had to step in to separate them.
Kaluga
At one gas station, a woman refused to give up the fuel nozzle. Video shows a man — apparently her son — trying to calm her down and lead her away from the pump; she demanded he bring her a gas can. She eventually left, but not before trying to kick another driver who moved to take the nozzle.
Krasnodar
Two drivers could not agree on who should pull up to the pump first, and a verbal argument escalated into a fight before the men were separated. In a separate video, two women berate a man for filling a gas can — something prohibited in Krasnodar Krai.
Sverdlovsk region
At a gas station in Serov on June 26, a local resident named Vladimir took it upon himself to manage the line at the pump. When two women tried to cut ahead, he refused to let them through, a verbal argument broke out, and Vladimir punched one of them in the face. He later admitted he had been drunk.
Tatarstan
A brawl involving several people broke out at a gas station near the border with Bashkortostan. The cause of the conflict is unknown.
Izhevsk
The Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ published a video showing a fight near a pump at a gas station. The attacker is said to have dragged a driver out of his car beforehand. No further details are known.
Chita
A court in Chita on June 29 fined a local resident named Dmitry 500 rubles on a charge of petty hooliganism. Dmitry had gotten into a conflict with another driver in the gas station line after that driver objected to Dmitry letting one car ahead of him; Dmitry responded by hurling insults at the man. He later admitted fault.
Cheboksary
On June 26, a car driver and a motorcyclist who had cut the line got into a fight, after which the motorcyclist sprayed pepper spray in the man’s face.
In early July, a local resident attacked a woman because she was filming him at the gas station. The two had already had a conflict — the driver had taken issue, for some reason, with how the woman was standing in line. A station employee had to intervene before he could be calmed down.
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