Queues, limits and fights: the fuel crisis in Russia is gaining momentum

The fuel crisis in Russia is deepening. After a record jump in gasoline prices over the past 20 years, the authorities have stopped publishing operational statistics on fuel prices by region and brand.

This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

According to the SZRU, the latest public report recorded the largest weekly increase in gasoline and diesel prices in two decades. The Russian government then closed access to the relevant statistics.

The crisis has already spread beyond the automobile market. Due to fuel shortages, the East Siberian River Shipping Company, which serves 17 routes in the Irkutsk region, has reduced the number of flights and increased ticket prices.

One of the most problematic regions has been the Irkutsk region. There, due to a shortage of gasoline, public transport prices have risen, and local authorities are checking gas stations and identifying drivers who buy fuel in cans or resell it. The region is already on high alert. Similar measures have also been introduced in Transbaikalia and the Penza region.

In the Samara region, a restriction has been in effect at gas stations for several days – no more than 40 liters of gasoline per car. At the same time, local deputies refused to even include the issue of the fuel crisis on the agenda of the meeting.

The SZRU also reports that drivers are increasingly complaining about car breakdowns due to low-quality gasoline. The reason is the return to production of Euro-3 fuel, which the Russian authorities allowed to be produced due to a shortage.

According to intelligence, the shortage is already leading to conflicts at gas stations. In various regions, fights are being recorded in queues, and in the Belgorod region, where gasoline has become a scarce commodity, owners have started putting up gas stations themselves for sale.

Fuel prices are also rising rapidly. While the average cost of gasoline in Russia has already exceeded 100 rubles per liter, on the black market in Irkutsk it is sold for 300 rubles, and in Chita – for 500-600 rubles per liter.

Amid fuel shortages, Russians are increasingly abandoning cars. According to the SZRU, bicycle sales in the country increased by 131% in June.

By the way, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries are increasingly hitting the Russian fuel industry . Gasoline production has noticeably decreased, and fuel problems are already affecting regions located thousands of kilometers from Ukraine.

Earlier, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on the results of strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on military facilities of the Russian aggressor on June 18 and on the night of June 19, 2026. Among the targets hit were railway bridges in the temporarily occupied Crimea, military infrastructure, and the Moscow Oil Refinery.

As reported, the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck two fuel facilities in the Rostov region of the Russian Federation on the night of June 18. After the attack, fires broke out at the oil depot and the fuel and lubricants depot.