The Kremlin is hiding the fuel crisis and blaming everything on Russians – CPD

Russian authorities are trying to downplay the scale of the fuel crisis and shift the blame for the gasoline shortage onto the citizens themselves. At the same time, Russians are increasingly looking for answers about when the war will end.

This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

The Center noted that instead of explaining the reasons for the fuel crisis, representatives of the Russian government and propagandists are trying to convince the population that the situation is not critical.

In particular, the Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko called on Russians “not to panic or dramatize” the problem, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak explained the fuel shortage by “logistical difficulties.” At the same time, leading Russian propaganda TV channels did not mention the long lines at gas stations in their evening news broadcasts.

According to the Central Statistical Office, Kremlin bots have also become active on social media, massively spreading the thesis that the gasoline shortage is due to panic buying of fuel by drivers themselves.

Despite this, more and more Russians are beginning to associate internal problems with the protracted war. The Center noted that the number of search queries “when will it end” in the Yandex service has reached a historic high.

The CPR emphasized that it was the war unleashed by the Kremlin that was the main cause of economic problems in Russia. They added that the Russian leadership could end the war at any moment, but until it does so, the internal crisis will only deepen.